Lieneck, Cristian H.Weaver, EricMaryon, Thomas2024-01-022024-01-022022-01Lieneck, C. H., Weaver, E., & Maryon, T. (2022). Pandemic pause: Cost variables for ambulatory ACOs amid COVID-19. MGMA Connection, January 2022, 44–53.https://hdl.handle.net/10877/17860The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the U.S. healthcare industry dramatically. Since March 2020, treatment protocols and access to care have been affected, challenging the quality of care provided to patients of all acuity levels. This deferment of care exacerbated chronic illnesses and related symptoms, and a reduction of routine and preventative care continues to be a secondary concern behind COVID-19 virus surges and initiatives to increase physical distancing and other public health measures. To assist healthcare organizations in treating patients requiring immediate acute care related to the pandemic, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has relaxed the Quality Payment Program (QPP) reporting requirements for accountable care organizations (ACOs). Further, recent provide practice pattern shifts from the pre-COVID-19 value-based quality metric reporting system for ACO-involved organizations offers an assessment opportunity to identify key cost-influencing variables within the ACO environment.Text10 pages1 file (.pdf)enhealthcareCOVID-19pandemicArticle