Who is LEAD a fit for?
LEAD is a strong fit for both experienced ACOs and organizations new to accountable care.
For prior MSSP and ACO REACH participants that experienced benchmark erosion or unfavorable historical comparisons, LEAD offers a 10-year performance period with no rebasing and a redesigned benchmarking approach that supports long-term financial stability.
At the same time, the model is intentionally structured to attract smaller, independent, rural, and safety-net providers including FQHCs, CINs, and IPAs by providing advanced payments, administrative add-ons, and alignment flexibility that support infrastructure growth. Rural health providers may find LEAD particularly attractive due to this add-on payments and a lower beneficiary alignment minimum. particularly as they look to align their transformation strategy alongside other grants and programs. New entrants and smaller ACOs also benefit from the hybrid alignment approach in LEAD which allows expanding networks to realize attribution growth throughout the year as they form new alliances.
Experienced ACOs looking to better engage specialists can also leverage some of the offerings under LEAD, such as CMS-administered episode-based risk arrangements (CARA) and expanded non-primary care capitation options. Specialists themselves may find it advantageous to align with ACOs under LEAD as they coordinate their value-based care strategy alongside complementary programs such as the Ambulatory Specialty Model (ASM).
Overall LEAD appears to be well suited for both established and emerging organizations preparing to invest in long-term care transformation.
