ACO Assignment Improvement Act of 2025
ACO Assignment Improvement Act of 2025
Plain Language Summary
# ACO Assignment Improvement Act of 2025 - Plain Language Summary **What the Bill Does** This bill would change how Medicare assigns elderly and disabled patients to Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs)—groups of doctors and hospitals that work together to coordinate patient care and reduce costs. Currently, patients are assigned to ACOs based primarily on their visits to primary care doctors. The bill would expand this to also count visits to other healthcare providers like physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and clinical nurse specialists when deciding which ACO a patient belongs to. **Who It Affects** The bill primarily affects Medicare beneficiaries (seniors and some disabled Americans) and the healthcare providers and organizations that treat them.
It could give a broader range of healthcare professionals more influence in patient assignments and potentially help ACOs serve more patients by counting services from their entire team of providers. **Current Status** The bill was introduced by Representative Adrian Smith (R-Nebraska) and is currently in committee, meaning it hasn't yet been voted on by the full House of Representatives. No action has been taken since its introduction.
CRS Official Summary
ACO Assignment Improvement Act of 2025This bill establishes additional requirements for assigning Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries to accountable care organizations (ACOs) under the Medicare shared savings program. Under current law, the program enables ACOs to receive payments for savings stemming from care coordination and management.The bill requires the basis for assignment to reflect beneficiaries' utilization of not only primary care services provided by ACO physicians, but also those provided by other ACO practitioners—specifically, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and clinical nurse specialists.
Latest Action
Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.