FQHC-Focused ACO Continues to Grow
Boston-based Community Care Cooperative (C3), an accountable care organization (ACO) founded and governed by Federally Qualified Health Centers has added four more FQHCs to its network participating in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP).
C3 announced that it has has partnered with two FQHCs in California, one in the District of Columbia, and one in North Carolina. The organization shares in the risk and reward across 43 FQHCs’ value-based agreements, representing more than 45,000 Medicare beneficiaries.
The nonprofit C3 said its partners are committed to sustaining local primary care by improving outcomes, quality of care, and cost-efficiency, and that this expansion will significantly enhance healthcare access and quality for the communities served, reflecting C3’s ongoing commitment to improving community health and well-being.
The four new participating FQHCs are:
• Bread for the City, Washington, D.C.
• Shasta Cascade Health Centers, CA
• Shingletown Medical Center, CA
• Western North Carolina Community Health Services, NC
“Our MSSP ACO serves as an entry point for FQHCs to participate in value-based care models. We appreciate the trust FQHCs have given us to be their ACO partner, and we look forward to continuing to improve the health and wellbeing of Medicare beneficiaries attributed to our networks,” said Christina Severin, CEO of C3, in a statement. “FQHCs are an integral part of the healthcare system, and it is our pleasure to support FQHC providers on their journey to value-based care.”
C3 announced that it achieved $5.1 million in shared savings during the 2023 performance year of the ACO REACH Model, according to data recently released from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). C3 is also adding eight new participating partners from Massachusetts and Washington to its ACO REACH Model.
C3’s growing Medicare ACOs include approximately 1,500 primary care physicians and 3,200 clinicians operating across communities in the District of Columbia, California, Connecticut, Louisiana, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Oregon, and Washington. C3 represents 240,000 Medicaid and Medicare beneficiaries in a value-based risk arrangement and has earned over $84 million as an ACO since 2018.
The organization also offers a Community Technology Cooperative (CTC), which was formed to help FQHCs improve health and equity for under-resourced communities through technology. CTC is governed by FQHCs and is focused on transitioning our existing EHR systems to Epic. CTC is live with 12 Massachusetts FQHCs today serving more than 225,000 patients per year.
In addition, a Community Pharmacy Cooperative (CPC) seeks to strengthen FQHCs nationwide by improving health center pharmacy services and operations. It helps health center partners improve their 340B performance, build and enhance their clinical pharmacy services, and optimize and operate their own pharmacies.
