Healthcare Snapshot - October 2025

In 2024, Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) in the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) saved Medicare $2.4 billion and earned $4.1 billion in shared savings—the highest financial performance in program history. ACOs also improved quality outcomes, including better blood pressure management, diabetes control, and increased depression screening with follow-up care. These results highlight the impact of value-based care in improving coordination for Medicare beneficiaries.

Locally, PSW administers two of these 2024 high-performing ACOs: MultiCare Connected Care (MCC) and the PSW ACO.

• MCC earned nearly $3 million in shared savings, marking its sixth consecutive year of strong performance serving over 35,000 beneficiaries across Washington and Idaho in MSSP.
• The PSW ACO, in partnership with The Rural Collaborative and first MSSP year, generated $3.4 million in savings. This partnership with rural hospital districts demonstrates the commitment by several rural communities to enhancing coordinated care for their Medicare beneficiaries.

These achievements reflect PSW’s effective strategic and operational support in advancing value-based care.

Since March 2025, one of our nurse care managers has been walking alongside a client enrolled in the Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) program—supporting her through a remarkable transformation.

When they first connected, the client faced several challenges: a fear of falling, limited mobility requiring a walker or cane, and difficulty managing her diabetes due to an unrestricted diet. Her A1c was 6.8, and she wasn’t yet tracking her blood sugar or food intake.

By June, the nurse encouraged her to begin logging her meals and blood sugars. Progress was gradual—life events like travel and a family reunion made consistency difficult—but by July, she began tracking regularly. With continued coaching, she started choosing more protein-rich foods over carbohydrates and began cutting back on diet sodas, which had been her go-to beverage.

In August, her A1c dropped to 6.5—a sign that her efforts were paying off. By October, the changes were even more visible. She proudly shared that she could now fit into a pair of jeans she hadn’t worn in years. Her mobility had improved so much that she no longer needed a walker or cane. Her blood sugars were consistently in the 90s to low 100s, and she had reduced her soda intake to just one mini can per day, drinking water the rest of the time.

On a recent call, she said this is the best she’s felt in her life—her voice full of confidence and pride.

During the shutdown, most telehealth policies will revert to pre-pandemic rules. However, MSSP ACOs in two-sided risk models with prospective assignment—like ours—can continue using specific telehealth waivers. These waivers:

• Remove Medicare’s geographic restrictions
• Allow beneficiaries to receive telehealth services from home

CMS is expected to release further guidance soon, and Congress may retroactively extend these policies once a funding agreement is reached.

Action Needed:

If you participate in one of PSW's ACOs, you may qualify for this MSSP telehealth waiver. Contact ACO@pswipa.com to confirm.

View the Factsheet here.