With seven ACOs across five U.S. states and the District of Columbia, Prominence Health and its partner clinicians continue to drive significant savings for Medicare.
RENO, NV (December 4, 2024) — Prominence Health is proud to announce the results of its 2023 Accountable Care Organization (ACO) performance, achieving over $90 million in savings for Medicare. This success also generated more than $65 million in shared earnings for 3,000 participating physicians, bringing the total Medicare savings to over $500 million since the first Universal Health Services (UHS) ACO was established in 2014.
“Prominence Health’s results reflect our commitment to improving healthcare delivery through value-based care,” said Kamal Jemmoua, CEO of Prominence Health. “By equipping providers with the necessary tools and support, we are fostering a healthcare model that prioritizes both quality outcomes and cost efficiency for Medicare beneficiaries. These results highlight the dedication of our teams and physicians to elevating patient care.”
Prominence Health plays a critical role in Medicare's value-based care initiatives by owning and operating several Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) ACOs and participating in the ACO REACH (Accountable Care Organization Realizing Equity, Access, and Community Health) program.
Within the MSSP, providers are incentivized to reduce costs and improve care quality through value-based contracts. These ACOs reward participating physicians for achieving predetermined financial and quality benchmarks, allowing them to share in the savings they generate for Medicare.
“We’ve seen tremendous progress in how our teams are aligning care with patient needs while driving down costs,” said Dr. Robert Sanders of Texoma Clinical Partners ACO. “Our team is dedicated to shifting how medicine is practiced in our community from reactive to preventive medicine to improve the patient experience and reduce the financial burden of care to Medicare.”
South Texas Clinical Partners (STCP) ACO, part of Prominence Health, also participates in the ACO REACH program, which takes value-based care a step further by emphasizing health equity and encouraging providers to take on financial risk. The program focuses on improving healthcare for underserved communities while maintaining financial sustainability.
“We are incredibly proud of STCP ACO REACH’s first-year performance,” said Dr. Monzer Yazji, representing South Texas Clinical Partners ACO REACH. “This milestone underscores our commitment to delivering high-quality, equitable care to South Texas while reducing costs.”
While both MSSP and ACO REACH programs share the goal of improving healthcare quality and reducing Medicare costs, ACO REACH expands its focus to include advancing health equity. Providers in ACO REACH must develop comprehensive health equity plans to identify underserved populations and work toward reducing health disparities. This structure allows ACOs like STCP to provide community-centric care, benefiting both patients and providers.
Universal Health Services (UHS), through its subsidiary Prominence Health, sponsors ACOs that are physician-led and focused on primary care, often in collaboration with post-acute and specialty care providers. Depending on the ACO structure, UHS either wholly owns these ACOs or operates them through joint ventures with participating providers. UHS’s unique model integrates hospital resources with ACO operations, providing capital funding, tools for managing financial risk, and initiatives to reduce unnecessary hospital utilization.
“The collaboration between UHS facilities and our ACO providers has been instrumental in ensuring sustainable, high-quality care that benefits patients and lowers costs,” said Dr. Robert Sanders of Texoma Clinical Partners ACO. “We are proud to continue this important work in our communities.”
The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) established the ACO program to improve the quality of care for Medicare beneficiaries and lower Medicare costs. Since the beginning of the ACO program in 2013, ACOs have saved Medicare $13.3 billion.
About Prominence Health
Prominence Health is a value-based care organization bridging the gap between affiliated health systems and independent providers, building trust and collaboration between the two. Prominence Health creates value for populations and providers to strengthen integrated partnership, advance market opportunities, and improve outcomes for our patients and members.
Founded in 1993, Prominence Health started as a health maintenance organization (HMO) and was acquired by a subsidiary of Universal Health Services, Inc. (UHS) in 2014. Prominence Health serves members, physicians, and health systems across Medicare, Medicare Advantage, Accountable Care Organizations, and commercial payer partnerships. For more information about Prominence Health, visit prominencehealth.com
About Universal Health Services
One of the nation’s largest and most respected providers of hospital and healthcare services, Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE: UHS) has built an impressive record of achievement and performance, growing since its inception into a Fortune 500 corporation. Headquartered in King of Prussia, PA, UHS has 96,700 employees. Through its subsidiaries, UHS operates 28 acute care hospitals, 330 behavioral health facilities, 39 outpatient facilities and ambulatory care access points in 39 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the United Kingdom.
The statements contained in this press release are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of CMS. The authors assume responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of the information contained in this document.
Contact
For more information
Lindsey Fullerton Prominence Health 702-635-6547 [email protected]
Jane Crawford Universal Health Services 610-382-4830 [email protected]
