ACO REACH & MSSP

ACO strategy this week is being pulled in two directions: MSSP/ACO REACH operators are showcasing execution playbooks around physician engagement, data transparency, and care management infrastructure, while a new NEJM critique argues that shared-savings ACOs still have not reliably delivered meaningful economics to primary care—raising pressure on CMS under Dr. Mehmet Oz and CMMI Director Abe Sutton to make model incentives more direct, predictable, and practice-sustaining. The most relevant near-term signal is that organizations continue to reposition within Medicare value-based care—e.g., practices switching ACO partners for more operational support and CMS selecting Innovative Health ACO for the LEAD Model implementation period—while the policy tension remains whether MSSP and ACO REACH can evolve from upside-savings vehicles into durable primary-care financing platforms (NEJM critique; NAACOS award winners).