CHA ACO improved care for over 11,000 Medicare beneficiaries in Indiana and southwest Michigan in 2023, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
Beacon Health System operates the CHA Accountable Care Organization. As part of the Medicare Shared Savings Program, accountable care organizations that meet quality and cost goals are authorized to receive a portion of the savings they produce for Medicare beneficiaries.
CHA ACO saved Medicare $4.7 million, earning the South Bend-based ACO $3.5 million in a shared savings bonus in 2023. Some of these savings will be reinvested in new technologies and ongoing care coordination efforts.
“Having been part of the MSSP program since 2014, Beacon Health has consistently prioritized collaboration with providers to enhance patient care, improve quality and reduce costs,” said Diane Maas, Beacon Health chief strategy and digital transformation officer, in a press release. “Our ACO is demonstrably improving care and achieving cost savings while preserving patient choice of Medicare providers.”
Clinicians and providers share best practices to coordinate the care beneficiaries receive from primary care and specialty providers and to prevent health issues and repeat hospitalizations, Maas said.
In 2023, CHA ACO included Memorial Hospital of South Bend, Elkhart General Hospital, Community Hospital of Bremen, Beacon Medical Group and many hospital-based providers who serve Indiana and southwest Michigan. CHA ACO joined the Medicare Shared Savings Program in 2014. Since that time, it has saved Medicare over $29.5 million. CHA ACO has received over $17 million in shared savings payments.
“The Medicare ACO Shared Savings Program stands as the nation’s most extensive value-based payment model and serves as an essential instrument in advancing Beacon Health System toward better value,” Maas said. “This marks the 10th year our CHA ACO has participated in the program and the fifth consecutive year it has achieved shared savings.”
Beacon Health System is a locally owned and operated nonprofit health care system. Headquartered in South Bend, Beacon Health has 20 specialized partners and more than 7,000 associates throughout the Region.
