The recent news that CVS Health is exiting the Medicare ACO space, fully withdrawing from ACO REACH and selling its MSSP business to Wellvana, highlights the ongoing challenges faced by ACO aggregators. While these organizations often position themselves as enablers of value-based care (VBC), their long-term sustainability remains uncertain, creating potential risks for providers relying on them for participation in accountable care models.

This transition is not an isolated event but part of a broader pattern of instability in the aggregator space. Consider the rapid changes in ownership over the past five years: Caravan Health was acquired by Signify Health, which was then acquired by CVS Health, and now CVS is selling its MSSP business to Wellvana while fully exiting ACO REACH. This level of turnover creates an environment of constant uncertainty – one that makes it difficult for providers to build sustainable, long-term strategies. For those participating in these shifting organizations, the experience can feel like whiplash, forcing them to adjust to new ownership, new strategies, and new priorities at a relentless pace. No provider should have to build their ACO strategy around this level of uncertainty. Instead, providers should take control of their own ACOs, align them with their payer value based payment agreements and choose stable, long-term partners to drive financial and quality outcome success across the board.

Understanding the Challenges of the Aggregator Model
ACO aggregators, including Wellvana and others, operate in a complex landscape that demands financial resilience, operational consistency, and strategic foresight. Many of these organizations are investor-backed, which can create pressures that sometimes lead to shifts in focus, acquisitions, or exits. For providers who have aligned their ACO strategy (and often times their broader value-based care strategy) with these aggregators, such changes can introduce operational challenges, including contract renegotiations, care model adjustments, and uncertainty about long-term stability.

Why Providers Should Take Control of Their ACO Future
Rather than relying on aggregators whose long-term commitment is uncertain, providers should consider taking ownership of their own ACOs and partnering with organizations that offer stability and strategic support. At COPE Health Solutions (CHS), we understand the importance of provider-led value-based care strategies. Rather than acting as an aggregator, we offer a flexible co-source model that ensures providers maintain control over their ACO strategy, and to align and integrate it with their managed care organization (MCO) value based payment agreement strategy and operations, while benefiting from our expertise, analytics, and operational support. Our approach is built for long-term success, focusing on seven key differentiators:

1. Retaining Provider Control – We ensure providers keep financial and operational control over their ACO journey rather than ceding it to an aggregator. This again enables alignment and integration of strategy and operations with MCO payer value based care arrangements and provides a seamless panel level clinical, operational and financial alignment model for providers.
2. Tailored Approach – . We recognize that each provider group is different and don’t force the same pre-scripted interventions regardless of who we are working with.
3. ARC Platform – Our advanced VBC analytics platform offers real-time dashboards, detailed reporting, and seamless EMR integration to drive data-informed decision-making at the individual member, physician or advanced practice provider, clinic site, medical group and system or network level.
4. Long-Term Stability – CHS is committed to sustainable partnerships, avoiding the financial pressures that often drive aggregator disruptions. We understand the need to drive financial and quality performance at the panel level across a physician’s panel, and for centralized care management teams, with one set of tools and processes versus siloed approaches for MSSP vs Medicare Advantage (MA) and other MCO value based payment agreements.
5. Cross-Payer & Line-of-Business Support – Our expertise spans Medicaid managed care, Commercial HMO and PPO – including self-insured and direct to employer models, and Medicare Advantage, ensuring continuity of insights across payers.
6. Flexible Engagement Models – We can structure our support model to meet your needs whether they are capability-specific or you need full-scale operations and care management support in addition to VBC analytics

The Path Forward for Providers
The CVS-Wellvana transition serves as a stark reminder that value-based care success depends on strategic, stable partnerships. Providers should seek models and partners that prioritize their long-term goals rather than relying on third parties whose priorities may shift. The turbulence in the aggregator space underscores the need for providers to take ownership of their ACO future, ensuring they remain in control rather than being subject to the uncertainty of changing corporate strategies.

At CHS, we are dedicated to helping providers establish and sustain their own ACOs with solutions that foster long-term stability and success. Our commitment to provider-led care ensures that organizations remain in control of their financial and operational future—without the risks associated with aggregator instability.

As the industry continues to evolve, the need for reliable, strategic partnerships has never been greater. Let’s discuss how CHS can help your organization build a sustainable, provider-driven value-based care strategy—one that puts you in control. We would love to hear from you, potentially become your MSSP partner, and accelerate your broader value-based care journey. Please do not hesitate to reach out at info@copehealthsolutions.com or 213-259-0245.