Seventeen Healthcare Organizations Selected to Participate in MassHealth ACO Program
BOSTON — The Baker-Polito administration announced that 17 Massachusetts healt care organizations have been selected as part of the reprocurement of the MassHealth Accountable Care Organization (ACO) program, effective April 1, 2023. MassHealth ACOs are integrated networks of physicians, hospitals, and other community-based healthcare providers that are accountable for the quality, cost, and member experience of care for 1.2 million MassHealth members.
“This agreement supports this administration’s goal of value-based care and strong care coordination, and advances health equity for MassHealth members,” Secretary of Health and Human Services Marylou Sudders said. “I am deeply appreciative of our many partners who have worked with us to refine the models developed under the initial reforms. We are committed to addressing health equity and improving the health outcomes of MassHealth members.”
The initial implementation of the MassHealth ACO program in 2018 represented the most significant reform to the MassHealth program in more than two decades, shifting from a traditional fee-for-service model of paying for the volume of healthcare services to paying for the value of healthcare services provided to members. This next phase of the ACO program will build upon and strengthen integrated, outcomes-based care for MassHealth members, while working to close existing disparities in quality and access that will advance health equity throughout the Commonwealth.
“Through the 2018 healthcare-delivery restructuring, MassHealth established a nation-leading accountable-care model that integrates physical health, behavioral health, and long-term services and supports to address each member’s unique healthcare needs,” said Amanda Cassel Kraft, assistant secretary for MassHealth. “MassHealth looks forward to our partnership with the selected ACOs to deliver high-quality care and close health disparities for our members.”
The healthcare organizations selected to enter into contract negotiations for the ACO program include Atrius Health with Fallon Health, Baystate Healthcare Alliance with Health New England, Beth Israel Lahey Health Performance Network with WellSense Health Plan, Boston Accountable Care Organization with WellSense Health Plan, Boston Children’s Health Accountable Care Organization with WellSense Health Plan, Cambridge Health Alliance with Tufts Health Public Plans, Community Care Cooperative, East Boston Neighborhood Health Center with WellSense Health Plan, Health Collaborative of the Berkshires with Fallon Health, Mass General Brigham ACO with Mass General Brigham Health Plan, Mercy Health Accountable Care Organization with WellSense Health Plan, Reliant Medical Group with Fallon Health, Signature Health with WellSense Health Plan, Southcoast Health Network with WellSense Health Plan, Steward Health Care Network, Tufts Medicine with WellSense Health Plan, and UMass Memorial Health Care with Tufts Health Public Plans.