What is an MSSP ACO?
Medicare wants to make sure your doctors have the resources and information they need to coordinate your care. Working together with Medicare, many doctors, hospitals, and other health care providers have decided to participate in Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) to give better, more coordinated health care to patients like you.
Atlantic Coast Healthcare Alliance is an MSSP ACO, which stands for Medicare Shared Savings Program Accountable Care Organization. An MSSP ACO team is made up of a voluntary group of doctors, hospitals, and other healthcare providers. The ACO team serves the best interest of Medicare Fee-for-Service beneficiaries (also known as traditional Medicare or Medicare FFS). The ultimate goal of an ACO is care coordination. Care coordination ensures that patients, especially the chronically ill, get the right care at the right time. Proper care coordination will aid in avoiding unnecessary duplication of services while reducing medical errors.
It is important to note that an MSSP ACO pertains only to patients with traditional Medicare coverage; the MSSP ACO is not a Medicare Advantage Plan nor is it a Health Maintenance Organization (HMO). The patient's Medicare benefits, services, rights, and protections are not affected and will not change when seeing a provider who is participating in the MSSP ACO. Medicare beneficiaries maintain their right for patient choice of providers.
Should you have any questions or concerns regarding ACOs, please feel free to contact CMS at any time at 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227). Information can also be found in the ACO section of www.Medicare.gov.