Provider Groups Ask Medicare to Shield Them From Covid-19 Losses

The groups of doctors, hospitals, and other clinicians that provide coordinated care for Medicare beneficiaries are urging program administrators to ensure they aren’t held responsible for increased costs related to the new coronavirus pandemic.

The nation’s 517 provider groups, known as accountable care organizations (ACOs), are a vital component of traditional Medicare’s move from a fee-for-service payment model to value-based care, in which provider reimbursement is based on patient outcomes rather than the volume of services provided.

When ACOs improve health and lower costs for the Medicare program, they share in the savings. But some ACOs could lose revenue and ...