Study: Interim Results Promising for Shared-Savings Accountable Care Model

Three practices participating in Cigna’s collaborative accountable care initiative achieved favorable trends in total medical costs and quality of care compared with market trends, indicating that a shared-savings model with support from the payer can help practices take steps to become fully accountable for care quality and efficiency, according to interim results of a study published in the November 2012 issue of Health Affairs. The reelection of President Obama means that healthcare reform mandated by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) will remain law. Healthcare organizations can continue to implement changes mandated by PPACA and to pursue new methods of care delivery, like accountable care organizations, that will help them continue to operate successfully in the new climate of managed care and pay-for-performance. The interim results of the Cigna initiative show that, overall, three structurally diverse practices in Arizona, New Hampshire, and Texas performed better than their comparison group peers on all care quality measures (with one exception of one practice’s performance on one of the five measures).