Ochsner Accountable Care Network saves Medicare $30 million; ranks in top 11% for quality and top 3% in access to care

News provided by

Nov 12, 2024, 14:34 ET

For the eighth consecutive year, Louisiana's largest accountable care organization has achieved top-ranking results in both clinical performance and healthcare savings.

NEW ORLEANS, Nov. 12, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Ochsner Accountable Care Network, LLC (OACN) achieved its eighth consecutive year of top-ranking results in both clinical performance and healthcare savings for the Medicare population in its care. OACN is Louisiana's largest physician-led accountable care organization serving the Medicare population. This achievement recognizes OACN's commitment to providing exceptional care while saving millions of dollars on healthcare spending.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently announced the results of the 2023 Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) for accountable care organizations (ACOs) across the United States. The report shows that Ochsner Accountable Care Network's participating physicians and advanced practice providers lowered the expected cost of care by $30.9 million for the more than 58,000 Medicare beneficiaries in its care in 2023. Over the last eight years, OACN has improved the health outcomes for its beneficiaries and reduced healthcare spending by more than $160 million.

"Ochsner's physician-led accountable care organization is improving health outcomes while reducing costs," said Robert Hart, MD, Chairman of the Board for Ochsner Accountable Care Network. "Through improved efficiencies, care coordination and patient experience, the OACN team is continually delivering high-quality care and financial efficiency for our patients and our organization."

Committed to patient experience and quality

The 2023 Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers & Systems (CAHPS) survey, a measure of patient experience, shows OACN's scores consistently illustrate the efforts its physicians, advanced practice providers, clinical teams, and operational teams make to ensure an impactful patient experience. Notably, OACN physicians' ability to utilize the support of care teams and technology contributed to a top 3% ranking in how beneficiaries view their ability to get timely care and information.

The 2023 CMS report also shows that out of 453 accountable care organizations nationwide, Ochsner Accountable Care Network ranks in the top 11% for quality, reflecting its commitment to delivering innovative, high-quality care. Backed by the dedication of its physicians and their care teams, and alongside its clinical and operational team members, the network's clinical successes can be attributed to ensuring appropriate care coordination; increasing primary care visits; focusing on high-risk patient care coordination and support; and improving patient satisfaction.

"Our focus on health equity is also helping drive our quality performance. Investments in technology and the ability to efficiently share data, learnings, and best practices sets our physicians and clinical providers up for success," said Sidney "Beau" Raymond, MD, OACN Medical Director and Executive Director. "We don't stop there. Because healthcare is local, we work shoulder to shoulder with our clinicians to develop regional plans to address disparities specific to their communities."

Furthermore, despite serving a patient population facing outsized health disparities, OACN made great strides in preventive care and management of chronic conditions, including:

Increased annual wellness visits by 37% from 2022
Among the top 6% of ACOs in screening for future fall risk
Among the top 8% of ACOs in colorectal cancer screening
Among the top 9% of ACOs in both hypertension control and screening for depression and follow-up plan
87% of patients received appropriate breast cancer screenings (OACN performance is 8% better than the "all ACOs" mean)
Fewer than 9% of patients had uncontrolled diabetes (OACN performance is 15% better than the "all ACOs" mean)

ACOs making an impact on population health

ACOs are groups of physicians, hospitals and other healthcare providers who come together voluntarily to provide coordinated quality care to Medicare patients. The goal of an ACO is to improve efficiency and coordination of care, resulting in improved care delivery and reduced healthcare costs to both the patient and organization. Patients see the benefit of an ACO through improved communication with their healthcare teams and reduced duplication in paperwork and medical tests.

Altogether, in 2023, 453 ACOs across the United States saved Medicare $2.1 billion.

"Accountable Care Organizations in the Medicare Shared Savings Program continue to deliver high-quality health care for people with Medicare and meaningful savings for the Medicare program," said CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure in a recent press release. "CMS continues to improve the Medicare Shared Savings Program for the future so that providers in Accountable Care Organizations are able to deliver coordinated, high-quality, affordable, equitable, person-centered care to people with Medicare."

For more information about OACN's participants or past performance, please visit www.OchsnerHealthNetwork.org.

About Ochsner Accountable Care Network (OACN)
OACN is an Accountable Care Organization (ACO) comprised of more than 2,500 clinicians in Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi and Alabama. Founded in 2013 to ensure that patients, especially those with chronic conditions, get the right care, at the right time, in the right place, the network is dedicated to improving health outcomes and supports population health efforts across the Gulf South. OACN consists of Ochsner Health-employed and community providers and is the largest ACO in Louisiana.

SOURCE Ochsner Health