After losing more than $3 million over the past couple years, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center has decided to leave CMS’ Pioneer Accountable Care Organization program.
 
The health system is considering whether to join CMS’ Next Generation ACO model, which begins Jan. 1, 2016, according to a report in Healthcare Finance.
 
The most important difference between the Pioneer and Next Generation models, is that the latter gives participants more tools to engage the beneficiaries, such as the ability to offer telehealth not only from facility to facility as is currently done, but from facility to patient, Healthcare Finance reports.
 
CMS has already approved Dartmouth-Hitchcock’s application for the Next Generation program, officials there say, but will only go ahead with signing the contract if the dollar target is agreeable.
 
CMS expects 15 of the 20 current ACOs to join Next Generation, which includes a risk-sharing model and will consist of three initial performance years and two optional one-year extensions, Healthcare Finance says.