ACO Assignment Improvement Act of 2021

ACO Assignment Improvement Act of 2021

This bill establishes additional requirements for assigning Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries to accountable care organizations (ACOs) under the Medicare shared savings program. Under current law, the program enables ACOs to receive payments for savings stemming from care coordination and management.

The bill requires the basis for assignment to reflect beneficiaries' utilization of not only primary care services provided by ACO physicians, but also those provided by other ACO practitioners—specifically, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and clinical nurse specialists.

Bill 117 hr 6308, also known as the ACO Assignment Improvement Act of 2021, aims to make improvements to the assignment process for Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) in the United States. ACOs are groups of healthcare providers who work together to coordinate care for Medicare patients and improve quality while reducing costs.

The bill seeks to address issues with the current assignment process, which determines which Medicare beneficiaries are attributed to an ACO for the purposes of quality and cost measurement. The legislation aims to improve the accuracy of assignment by taking into account the primary care provider that a beneficiary sees most frequently, rather than just the provider they saw most recently.

Additionally, the bill includes provisions to ensure that beneficiaries are notified of their assignment to an ACO and have the opportunity to opt out if they choose. This transparency and choice for patients is intended to improve trust and engagement in the ACO model of care. Overall, the ACO Assignment Improvement Act of 2021 seeks to enhance the effectiveness of ACOs in delivering high-quality, cost-effective care to Medicare beneficiaries by improving the assignment process and increasing patient engagement.