CMS said Feb. 22 it is ending the ACO Transformation Track in the Community Health Access and Rural Transformation Model.
The ACO track was part of an alternative payment model for rural health system transformation, which was created by the Trump administration's HHS in 2020. The goal of the ACO track was to increase ACO adoption in rural areas.
CMS said its decision to eliminate the ACO track is because "broader efforts" are underway to develop "an agency-wide vision and strategy for accountable care, including opportunities to increase ACO adoption in rural areas."
CMS had initially delayed application requests for the ACO transformation track in March 2021.