Ascension Seton Accountable Care Org Ranks #32 out of 482 ACOs in US

The Ascension Seton Accountable Care Organization (ACO) – a 10-year collaboration between Ascension Texas, Austin Regional Clinic, Capital Medical and Lone Star Circle of Care – saved Medicare a record $23.9 million by meeting an extensive list of quality of care, patient satisfaction and cost goals in 2022, according to recently released performance data from the federal agency that administers Medicare. The Ascension Seton ACO’s primary focus is to improve care for 23,625 Medicare beneficiaries in greater Austin.

Ascension Seton ACO earned a top quality score on performance measures ranging from patient satisfaction and preventive health checks to the use of computerized health records and preventing avoidable hospitalizations, Medicare data show.

"When physicians and clinical teams work together through an ACO to focus on patients and invest in care coordination, information technology and other care improvements, they can both increase quality and reduce costs," said Anas Daghestani, MD. "ACOs like ours are reducing waste in healthcare spending by improving the quality and coordination of care while maintaining patient choice of Medicare providers."

For example, Ascension Seton ACO physicians and clinical teams work to increase the number of Medicare beneficiaries taking advantage of annual wellness visits, including recommended screenings and preventive care. The ACO also focuses on ensuring smooth patient transitions from the hospital to home—or a nursing home if needed. All ACO providers receive detailed information about their performance on quality measures. And clinicians and providers share best practices to coordinate the care beneficiaries receive from different primary care and specialty providers and to prevent health issues and repeat hospitalizations.

The Ascension Seton ACO is managed by Ascension Texas in collaboration with Austin Regional Clinic, Capital Medical Clinic and Lone Star Circle of Care. The primary care providers at Austin Regional Clinic, Capital Medical Clinic and Lone Star Circle of Care are focused on reducing costs and improving quality/outcomes for the 23,625 Medicare beneficiaries. In 2022, Ascension Seton ACO was able to achieve $23,957,263 in savings, the largest amount in its history which started 10 years ago by continuing to invest in improving the quality of care.

A patient-centric solution to fragmented and costly care, accountable care organizations (ACOs) empower local physicians, hospitals and other providers to work together and take responsibility for improving quality, enhancing patient experience and keeping care affordable. The Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) creates incentives for ACOs to invest in transforming care by allowing them to share in savings they generate after meeting defined quality and cost goals.

About Ascension Seton ACO and the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP)
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is focused on achieving the "Triple Aim" in the delivery of healthcare by:

• Improving the patient experience of care (including quality and satisfaction);
• Improving the health of populations; and
• Reducing the per capita cost of health care.

Accountable care organizations, such as Ascension Seton ACO, share these same objectives, primarily by encouraging cooperation and coordination among healthcare providers to improve the quality of care, while reducing unnecessary costs. CMS requires its operators of MSSP to demonstrate the ability to achieve the Triple Aim. Ascension Seton ACO was selected by CMS to participate in the MSSP program beginning in 2014.

Ascension Texas Health Alliance/Dell Children's Health Alliance
The same team that operates the MSSP program also coordinates Ascension Texas Health Alliance and Dell Children's Health Alliance, a clinically integrated network of more than 3,000 health care providers that promotes the principles of coordination and cooperation in the delivery of healthcare.