These Aren’t Mixed Results: Pioneer Accountable Care Organizations Worked

After a slew of disheartening press releases from CMS about the Affordable Care Act’s growing pains, the Obama Administration is probably quite happy to see the initial results of one of the law’s most important provisions: Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs). You should be, too.

But the framing of the results may give the typical reader a false impression of what’s actually transpired. From an article by Melinda Beck in the Wall Street Journal titled “Mixed Results in Health Pilot Plan”:

All of the 32 health systems in the so-called Pioneer Accountable Care Organization program improved patient care on quality measures such as cancer screenings and controlling blood pressure, according to data to be released Tuesday by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. But only 18 of the 32 managed to lower costs for the Medicare patients they treated—a major goal of the effort. Two hospitals lost money on the program in the first year.