Doctors Taking Pay Risks to Boost Medicare Win Verma’s Plaudits

More groups of doctors, hospitals, and other providers who coordinate care for traditional Medicare patients are putting skin in the game.

In 2020, 192 Accountable Care Organizationsare taking “downside” financial risk for cost increases, meaning they could lose revenue and have to reimburse Medicare if their cost of care exceeds agreed-upon thresholds. In 2019, only 92 ACOs opted for downside risk arrangements, Medicare Administrator Seema Verma wrote in a January 10 article in Health Affairs magazine.

“This will translate to lower costs and higher value for Medicare beneficiaries and taxpayers,” Verma wrote. “CMS greatly appreciates the hard work and ...