359,000 clinicians participating in 4 APMs in 2017

CMS has announced which clinicians and accountable care organizations are participating in four alternative payment models (APMs) in 2017: the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) Next Generation ACO Model, the Comprehensive End-Stage Renal Disease Care Model (CEC) and Comprehensive Primary Care Plus (CPC+) Model.

The final tally has more than 359,000 participating clinicians, serving than 12.3 beneficiaries in Medicaid and Medicare.

“By listening to physicians and engaging them as partners, CMS has been able to develop innovative payment reforms that bring physicians back to the core practice of medicine – caring for the patient,” CMS Acting Administrator Andy Slavitt said in a statement. “By reducing regulatory burden and paying for quality, CMS is offering solutions that improve the quality of services our beneficiaries receive and reduce costs, to help ensure the Medicare program is sustainable for generations to come.”

572 ACOs are participating in CEC, Next Generation ACO, or MSSP. 131 of them are in a risk-bearing track within those programs.

Here’s how the number of new and returning participants break down:

• MSSP: 99 new, 79 returning
• Next Gen ACO: 28 new, 17 returning
• CEC: 24 new, 23 returning

For primary care, 2,893 practices are participating in CPC+.

Next Generation ACO and CPC+ participants, as well MSSP ACOs on Tracks 2 and 3, will be eligible for the 5 percent APM bonus in 2017 thanks to the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act.