NAACOS Responds to Final 2027 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Rule
Statement from Emily Brower, president and chief executive officer, NAACOS
WASHINGTON (November 4, 2026) – The National Association for Accountable Care Organizations (NAACOS) applauds the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for finalizing policies in the 2027 final Physician Fee Schedule rule that will strengthen the sustainability of accountable care organizations (ACOs), support program growth, reduce administrative burden, and foster innovation.
We appreciate CMS’ efforts to:
- Strengthen sustainability through improved benchmarking policies, including an increased prior savings adjustment, guardrails on the Accountable Care Prospective Trend (ACPT), and enhancements to the Advance Investment Payments program.
- Encourage growth of accountable care through benchmark adjustments that incentivize ACOs to recruit practices inexperienced with financial risk and serve new beneficiaries.
- Reduce administrative burden by simplifying quality reporting requirements.
- Support innovation by expanding flexibility for reducing beneficiary cost-sharing and improving beneficiary communications.
We look forward to continuing our work with CMS to build on the accountable care’s success in reducing costs and improving patient outcomes. Further progress will require addressing sustainability challenges for long-term ACO participants and those serving patients with complex needs, advancing innovations that improve cash flow to clinical practices, enhancing patient benefits, and ensuring accountable care remains a strong and clear option for patients.
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About NAACOS. The National Association of Accountable Care Organizations (NAACOS) is a member-led and member-governed nonprofit of nearly 500 ACOs and value-based care entities in Medicare, Medicaid, and commercial insurance working on behalf of physicians, health systems, and other providers across the nation to improve quality of care for patients and reduce health care cost. NAACOS represents more than 10 million beneficiary lives through Medicare’s population health-focused payment and delivery models.