Ochsner ACO saves Medicare $27 million; ranks in top 5% for service

For the seventh year in a row, Louisiana’s largest ACO has achieved exceptional quality outcomes and millions of dollars in healthcare savings for the Medicare population in its care.

NEW ORLEANS – Ochsner Accountable Care Network, LLC (OACN) achieved its seventh consecutive year of top-ranking results in both clinical performance and healthcare savings for the Medicare population in its care. Since 2022, that community has expanded to include Medicare beneficiaries in four Gulf Coast states: Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Texas.

The federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently announced the results of the 2022 Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) for accountable care organizations (ACOs) across the United States. The report shows that Ochsner Accountable Care Network’s participating physicians and providers lowered expected cost of care by more than $27 million for more than 52,000 Medicare beneficiaries in 2022. Over the last seven years, OACN has improved the health outcomes for its beneficiaries and reduced healthcare spending by more than $127 million.

“Ochsner Accountable Care Network is saving lives and saving millions of dollars for vulnerable patients in the Gulf South,” said Robert Hart, MD, chairman of OACN.

High quality care drives better outcomes

OACN’s 2022 clinical successes can be attributed to increasing primary care physician visits, focusing on high-risk patient care coordination and support, avoiding preventable emergency department visits and hospitalizations, and improving patient satisfaction. Through these efforts, OACN achieved the following results:

• Increased annual wellness visits by 10% from 2021
• Increased primary care services by 27.7% from 2021
• Reduced unplanned admissions by 10% compared to 2021
• For care coordination, OACN placed in the top 10% for all ACOs

Furthermore, despite serving a patient population facing outsized health disparities, OACN made great strides in preventative care and management of chronic conditions:

• Fewer than 9% of patients had uncontrolled diabetes (OACN performance is 20% better than the mean ACO)
• 89% of patients received appropriate breast cancer screenings (OACN performance is 14% better than the mean ACO)
• 87% of patients received appropriate colorectal cancer screening (OACN performance is 15% better than the mean ACO)

Patient experience is key

In the 2022 Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers & Systems (CAHPS) survey, a measure of patient experience, OACN’s scores consistently illustrate the efforts its providers and clinical teams make to ensure impactful patient experience. Notably, OACN providers’ ability to leverage the support of care teams and technology contributed to a score of 95 out of 100 for how well beneficiaries view providers’ communication with patients and for having courteous and helpful office staff, placing them in the top 5% for all ACOs.

“In addition to celebrating the healthcare savings and quality outcomes we’ve achieved, we’re extremely gratified that Ochsner Accountable Care Network ranks so highly in customer service,” said Beau Raymond, MD, medical director and executive director for OACN. “Patients are our number one priority, so we are immensely proud to be ranked in the top 5% for all ACOs for customer service.”

ACOs making an impact on population health

ACOs are groups of physicians, hospitals and other healthcare providers who come together voluntarily to provide coordinated quality care to Medicare patients. The goal of an ACO is to improve efficiency and coordination of care, resulting in improved care delivery and reduced healthcare costs to both the patient and organization. Patients see the benefit of an ACO through improved communication with their healthcare teams and reduced duplication in paperwork and medical tests.

Altogether, in 2022, 482 ACOs across the United States have saved Medicare $1.8 billion.

“The Medicare Shared Savings Program helps millions of people with Medicare experience coordinated health care while also reducing costs for the Medicare program,” said CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure in a press release. “CMS will continue to improve the program, and it is exciting to see that ACOs are continuing to be successful in delivering coordinated, high-quality, affordable, equitable, person-centered care.”

For more information about OACN’s participants or past performance, please visit ochsneracn.org.

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About Ochsner Accountable Care Network (OACN)

OACN is an Accountable Care Organization (ACO) comprised of more than 2,500 clinicians in Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi and Alabama. Founded in 2013 to ensure that patients, especially those with chronic conditions, get the right care, at the right time, in the right place, the network is dedicated to improving health outcomes and supports population health efforts across the Gulf South. OACN consists of Ochsner Health-employed and community providers and is the largest ACO in Louisiana.