Uncertain Future for ACOs, Despite Year 1 Success
In an April 17 article posted by NJ Spotlight, the three official Medicaid ACOs (Camden, Trenton, and Newark), discussed their Year 1 successes, as well as their uncertainty for a future in the project. Trenton Health Team-ACO functions as the Medicaid ACO in Trenton, NJ.
Among the successes celebrated by the three organizations were decreased readmission rates of patients who spent extended times in the hospital, strengthened partnerships among community organizations, leading to improved access to healthy foods, and providers working together to better coordinate care.
But despite the successes, the organizations have uncertainty about a future for Medicaid ACOs. Not including the federal-level attempts to repeal the ACA (which occurred after this interview was conducted), obstacles to continued ACO programming includes undetermined future state contributions, more specific focus on certain patient subgroups, and better limits on metrics used to measure success.