Dear Family Choice Health Network Community
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced that Family Choice ACO, LLC (Family Choice Medical Group) has been selected as the first physician-led ACO in Orange County to participate in the federal government’s Medicare Shared Savings Program Track 1+ Model as an accountable care organization.
As a participant in the program, Family Choice ACO, LLC will work with CMS to provide high-quality service and care to Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries while reducing the growth in Medicare expenditures through enhanced care coordination.
“Through participation in the Medicare Shared Savings Program and other initiatives, Family Choice ACO is taking an innovative approach to health care, focusing on high-value, high-quality care that is truly patient-centered during a time of uncertainty in health care legislation,” said Dr. Toan Tran, chief executive officer for Family Choice ACO, LLC. “Family Choice aims to be a leader within our community by transforming health care and lowering uncontrolled health care costs.”
The Medicare Shared Savings Program was created under the Affordable Care Act to help health care providers better coordinate care for Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries through accountable care organizations, or ACOs — groups of doctors, hospitals and others who collaborate to provide high-quality service and care for their patients.
“Family Choice Health Network has demonstrated truly outstanding, high-quality, evidence-based medical programs, and the Medicare Shared Savings Program provides our doctors and patients with an important framework to better coordinate care for our Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries,” said Board Member Dr. Alan Tran, Specialist Coordinator.
By creating its own ACO, Family Choice Health Network was able to submit an application to participate in the program. Family Choice was selected specifically by CMS to create incentives for health care providers to work together to treat individual patients across all care settings — including doctors’ offices, hospitals and other health care facilities.
The Shared Savings Program will reward ACOs that lower the growth of health care costs while meeting or exceeding performance standards for quality of care and putting patients first. The participation of health care providers in an ACO is purely voluntary.
ACOs must meet quality standards to ensure that savings are achieved through improved care coordination and the provision of care that is appropriate, safe and timely. CMS has established quality measures on care coordination and patient safety, the appropriate use of preventive health services, improved care for at-risk populations, and patient and caregiver experience of care.
“Family Choice ACO, LLC is one of only a few independent physician groups not associated with a hospital to participate in this program,” said Dr. Lowell Gordon, Chief Medical Officer of Family Choice ACO and Medical Group. “Family Choice ACO, LLC has a strong foundation in primary care, including more than 20 years providing innovative community centric approaches to improve care coordination for our patients, in addition to exemplary specialty care. The Medicare Shared Savings Program challenges doctors and partners, together with their patients, to reevaluate and redesign patient care to be more patient-centered and efficient — across all care settings, including at home.”
The recent selection was the culmination of a comprehensive selection process that began in the fall of 2017 with the national release by CMS of the Notice of Intent to Apply and application form. Family Choice ACO, LLC was selected based on vigorous eligibility criteria and program requirements.
“We have a successful primary and specialty care network,” said Dr. Toan Tran, “We have proven to our community that we have the framework in place to provide us with a perfect opportunity to work with the federal government’s Shared Savings Program to transform the delivery of excellent medical care.”
The Shared Savings Program is not a Medicare Advantage plan or an HMO. Beneficiaries with fee-for-service Medicare will still have the right to use any doctor or hospital that accepts Medicare, at any time.
Dr. Toan Tran
Chief Executive Officer
Family Choice ACO, LLC