Catholic Health Physician Partners ACOs Rank Top in the Nation for Performance  

In 2021, Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), under the management of Catholic Health Physician Partners (CHPP), improved care for more than 37,000 Medicare beneficiaries across the downstate New York market. In addition, CHPP saved Medicare approximately $25.88 million by meeting quality and cost goals in 2021, according to recently released performance data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). 
 
“Provider and patient engagement is extremely important to be successful in any valued-based arrangement,” said CHPP Independent Physician Association Chief Medical Officer Anthony P. Ardito, MD. “Ensuring our providers and staff understand our system goals of providing the highest quality care across the region is the foundation to our success.”
 
Medicare data shows that the CHPP ACOs earned quality performance scores of greater than 94 percent on performance measures ranging from patient experience, preventive health, chronic illness management, patient safety and preventing avoidable hospitalizations. The $25.88 million of gross savings to Medicare will result in a shared savings payment of $12.13 million to CHPP ACOs, as part of the federal government’s Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP). These monies will be used to support ongoing population health management efforts, further improving access and quality care. 
 
“The Medicare fee-for-service patient population across Long Island, Queens and Brooklyn have demonstrated improvements in chronic condition management and avoidable utilization year-over-year under the MSSP ACO program,” said CHPP IPA & ACO Executive Director Asha Cesar-Tay, MPH. “We streamlined many of our internal processes so that we always have a finger on the pulse of how we are performing throughout the year and how we compare to our benchmark. These results demonstrate that we continue to serve as a high-value, high-quality option for patients in our region.”
 
For example, CHPP ACO providers strive to encourage Medicare beneficiaries to schedule annual wellness visits, which include reviewing and ensuring that recommended preventive health screenings are performed, addressing existing gaps in care, chronic illness management, etc. The ACOs also focuses on ensuring seamless patient transitions from the hospital to home, skilled nursing or community setting. 
 
“Studies show that engaged members are less costly and experience better outcomes than non-engaged members,” said CHPP Clinical Performance Improvement Director Fatima Yousuf MBBS, MBA. “Providers and staff have leveraged Health Endeavors, our population health patient portal, to identify high-cost members and administer appropriate, cost-effective care to address the beneficiaries’ health care needs.” 
 
A market-based solution to fragmented and costly care, ACOs empower physicians, hospitals and other providers to work together to improve quality, enhance patient experience and keep care affordable.  CHPP is working to advance health equity and clinical quality outcomes across all patient populations and will continue to leverage lessons learned under the MSSP ACO program. 
 
Get more information on the MSSP ACO program.