Accountable Care Organizations play a significant role in the US healthcare system when it comes to providing value-based care.
Since their inception, MSSP ACOs have saved more than $2 billion, serving millions of beneficiaries across the nation. However, according to the latest CMS MSSP report, only 30% of the 432 participating ACOs were eligible for shared savings. Such disparity, combined with the fact that 42% of the older ACOs were among the better-performing ones, makes it a priority for ACOs analyze their performance closely.
What are the gaps before ACOs?
Currently, the major challenge faced by the ACOs is their inability to look through the opportunities they can tap. Most of the ACOs are not able to analyze their performance on multiple parameters. Their performance assessment is not frequent enough to provide actionable insights on various metrics. Unavailability of a single platform to measure and analyze their performance and trends is a major hindrance in their line of growth.
Adding to that, there is a lack of ample time to learn and explore the improvement opportunities in the case of the new ACOs. Without any insights of where they’re headed or how are their competitors performing, the ACOs lack the much-needed visibility to enhance their performance.
An approach to assist ACOs
The primary requirement for an ACO is to identify the exact metrics on which its performance will be analyzed. It is really crucial to ensure each aspect responsible for achieving the Triple Aim is thoroughly analyzed. It’s a time-consuming, chaotic task to say the least. This is where the need for a single, analytics-powered platform magnifies. ACOs can greatly benefit from a platform that brings together the raw performance data and pinpoints the gaps- the looming ones and the ones set to widen with time. Only a clear understanding of where they are headed can help ACOs plot their roadmap. Innovaccer’s revamped advanced tool- ACO Compare 3.0, for instance, provides a holistic view of ACO performance on CMS-specified quality measures. The tool evaluates the performance of ACOs on all 33 measures from four domains along with the additional assessment of expenditure and resource utilization.
The ACOs should be able to get a comprehensive drilled-down report of their performance from an aggregate level to subsequent ones to get to the root of any issues. Based on the publicly available data, ACO Compare 3.0 assess the ACO performance trends over the years. The tool provides a detailed analysis of high utilization and cost-drivers in the network, assisting the ACOs in monitoring the risk-adjusted expenditures per capita. This could greatly benefit the ACOs in determining the underperforming KPIs across various metrics of quality, cost, and utilization and help them to get a refined understanding of their network.
Along with the individual analysis, the platform also provides the ACOs insights about their performance against the other players. ACO Compare 3.0 with its advanced data analytics tools, can compare up to five ACOs at once and observe their performance across various measures, against state and national average.
Empowering the ACOs with advanced engaging mechanism
To help users declutter raw data and gain quick insights, the point-and-click interface of ACO Compare 3.0 provides visually adaptive dashboards along with intuitive graphs. Every performance measure is presented on different kinds of graphs and charts including scatter plots, heat maps, bar charts, among many.
Right on the click, ACOs can also generate and download intuitive, personalized reports detailing individual ACO performances and for a comprehensive, in-depth analysis on every measure. Through these reports, ACOs can easily monitor their own performance and can take necessary steps to grab every improvement opportunities.
The Road Ahead
Being the champions of value-based care, ACOs should have the kind of transparency that assists them in enhancing their performance. Only by deeply analyzing their performance can ACOs gain an understanding of what benefits them and what stands in their way. Putting quality on the frontlines of the care and realizing strategic goals require insight and foresight. Analyses will lead to insights, and insights will lead to strategic planning and actions. This will lead us to the healthcare we strive for and fulfill the purpose of the birth of ACOs- the one where people are healthy and not just disease-free, the one where care is accounted for, the one where quality is paramount.
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