CommonSpirit Health Leads in Improving Quality and Outcomes for Patients while Reducing Medicare Spending by $70 Million

Chicago, Ill.—September 14, 2020—CommonSpirit Health, a nonprofit health system operating in 21 states, today announced that it earned $37 million in shared savings for the 2019 performance year, its performance-based share of $70 million in savings to Medicare. As evidence of CommonSpirit’s commitment to providing the best in value-based care, the system’s 16 accountable care organizations (ACOs) participating in the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) also scored a quality average score of 94%.

”CommonSpirit Health is a growing community of healers and leaders building a high-performing population health engine for success in value-based payment programs,” said Bruce Swartz, Executive Vice President, Physician Enterprise for CommonSpirit Health. “ Our ACOs and clinical leaders are an essential driver of this strategy, demonstrating a clear commitment to compassion across the continuum of care by building strong relationships with our patients, proactively supporting their health and wellbeing in their communities, and modeling financial stewardship for sustainability.”

Overall, the 16 ACOs improved care outcomes for approximately 321,000 Medicare beneficiaries. Through proactive engagement of vulnerable patients and a suite of innovative programs to address unmet medical, behavioral, and social needs, CommonSpirit’s ACOs reduced short-term inpatient hospital admissions and emergency department visits by 1%, long-term inpatient hospital stays by 21%, and increased primary care services by 2%.

Sixty-three percent of CommonSpirit’s MSSP ACOs, or 10 out of 16, generated savings for Medicare. Fifty-six percent received shared savings payments. The ACOs achieved the following:

• Rainier Health Network in Washington state reduced short-term inpatient hospitalizations by 2%, scored 96% on quality, and saved Medicare $20.8 million.
• Arkansas Health Network reduced short-term inpatient hospitalizations and emergency department visits by 2%, scored 92% on quality, and saved Medicare $12.9 million.
• Baylor St. Luke’s Health Network in Texas reduced MRI events by 4%, scored 92% on quality, and saved Medicare $10.8 million.
• Alegant Health Partners in Nebraska reduced inpatient hospitlizations by 4% and emergency department visits by 8%, scored 93% on quality, and saved Medicare $10.4 million.
• Rose Quality Care Network (NV), North State Quality Care Network (CA), Mission Health Care Network (TN), MercyOne ACOs (Iowa), and CHI Saint Joseph Health Partners (KY) also together saved Medicare $19 million.

CommonSpirit Health’s ACOs and clinically-integrated networks care for these Medicare ACO patients as part of the system’s much broader population of 2.4 million attributed patients under public and private value-based agreements – making CommonSpirit a leader among the nation’s value-based health systems.

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About CommonSpirit Health:

CommonSpirit Health is a nonprofit, Catholic health system dedicated to advancing health for all people. It was created in February 2019 through the alignment of Catholic Health Initiatives and Dignity Health. CommonSpirit Health is committed to creating healthier communities, delivering exceptional patient care, and ensuring every person has access to quality health care. With a team of approximately 150,000 employees and 25,000 physicians and advanced practice clinicians, CommonSpirit Health operates 137 hospitals and more than 1000 care sites across 21 states. In FY 2019, Catholic Health Initiatives and Dignity Health had combined revenues of nearly $29 billion and provided $4.45 billion in charity care, community benefit, and unreimbursed government programs. Learn more at www.commonspirit.org.