Park Nicollet selected to be a Next Generation ACO

CMS initiative will expand services for patients

ST. LOUIS PARK, Minn. — The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has selected Park Nicollet Health Services to be one of 21 organizations nationwide that will participate in a new accountable care organization (ACO) model called the Next Generation ACO Model. Park Nicollet was chosen based on its four years of experience in coordinating care for patients in the Pioneer ACO Model. Beginning in 2016, Park Nicollet will shift from participating as a Pioneer ACO to a Next Generation ACO. Providers in the Next Generation ACO will assume higher levels of financial risk and reward compared to Pioneer. In return, patients can benefit from more services such as telehealth visits, home visits after a hospital stay, and greater access to short-term nursing facilities.

“The Next Generation ACO Model rewards value over volume in care delivery and it also helps us achieve the triple aim of improving health, delivering a great experience and helping to lower the cost of care,” said Steve Connelly, MD, co-executive medical director, HealthPartners and Park Nicollet. Over the past two years, Park Nicollet has reported on stringent goals on quality of care, patient satisfaction, and cost of care for about 13,000 patients as a Pioneer ACO. In fact, improving care and efficiency reduced medical costs by $6 million over the past two years.

“We look forward to working with our newly selected Next Generation ACO model participants to move our health care system toward one that delivers better care, smarter spending and healthier people,” said Patrick Conway, M.D., deputy administrator and chief medical officer for CMS.

For more information on the Next Generation ACO Model, please visit the Next Generation ACO Model web page.

Northwest Metro Alliance

In addition to the Park Nicollet Next Generation ACO, HealthPartners has another accountable care organization called the Northwest Metro Alliance. This partnership with Allina Health cares for 300,000 HealthPartners and Allina patients in the northwest metro area of Minneapolis.