Specialty Engagement in Accountable Care Toolkit
The Specialty Engagement in Accountable Care Toolkit is a comprehensive resource designed to help clinical teams more effectively integrate specialty care within accountable care models.
The toolkit is being made available as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) advances new specialty focused alternative payment models including the LEAD (Long-term Enhanced ACO Design) Model, Ambulatory Specialty Model, TEAM (Transforming Episode Accountability Model), and CJR-X (Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement Expanded) Model. The toolkit is designed to help primary care meaningfully integrate specialists within accountable care models, using stepwise guidance that organizations can adapt based on their readiness and local market dynamics.
Specialty care represents the majority of U.S. health care spending and is central to long-term outcomes of patients with complex and chronic conditions, yet many specialists face barriers to participating in accountable care. The toolkit addresses these challenges by outlining core components for effectively engaging specialty care providers in accountable care with tools and best practices to strengthen and sustain high-quality care across the continuum and expand participation in value-based care models.
The toolkit was developed by NAACOS with a workgroup of clinical leaders, including specialists, and operational and analytical experts. It is organized around six core domains – data and analytics; patient entry, attribution, and clinical pathways; specialist alignment and referral network planning; incentive design; episode of care payment models; and advanced specialty care payment models – providing a flexible yet thorough framework for aligning incentives and advancing shared accountability.
Together, these resources can help organizations move beyond siloed pilots toward coordinated and data‑driven specialty engagement strategies that improve outcomes and manage costs.
The toolkit serves as a complement to previous resources: the Creating a Sustainable Future for Value-based Care: Playbook of Voluntary Best Practices for VBC Payment Arrangements and The Future of Sustainable Value-Based Payment: Voluntary Best Practices to Advance Data Sharing, developed by NAACOS in partnership with AHIP and the American Medical Association, which outline best practices for aligning payment with quality, cost, and patient experience across payers.
Download your copy of the Specialty Engagement in Accountable Care Toolkit now using the link below.
Join NAACOS and members of our Specialty Engagement in Accountable Care Toolkit workgroup on May 11, 2026, at 3 p.m. for a special webinar to review the Toolkit and discuss insights and best practices for using the tools.