Steward Health Care Network, Mount Auburn Cambridge Independent Practice exit Pioneer ACO program

Screenshot via Steward.org.

Steward Health Care Network and Mount Auburn Cambridge Independent Practice in Massachusetts have joined a growing list of hospitals which are leaving the Pioneer accountable care organization model, according to The Boston Globe.

The Massachusetts hospitals follow the exit of Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in New Hampshire last month. All three hospitals said they are committed to new financial models of care and will join or are considering joining the future ACO plan when the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services unveils its Next Generation model in 2016.

In 2015, Pioneer had 19 participants, with CMS sticking to that figure even as Dartmouth-Hitchcock announced it was leaving. The program began three years ago with 32 health systems.

[Also: Dartmouth-Hitchcock to exit Pioneer ACO program over losses]

CMS said it expected to announce Next Gen participants soon.

Dartmouth-Hitchcock chose to exit the program for financial reasons after it owed an estimated $3.6 million over two years in the shared risk program even though the hospital had above-average scores for quality.

The Globe reported that finances played a role in the departure of the Massachusetts health systems as well.

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Mount Auburn Hospital's physician network saved about $14 million over three years in Pioneer, but it expected to lose money under new rules that reduce the amount of money it will receive, according to the Globe.

Steward, the for-profit doctor and hospital network headquartered in Boston, saved about $30 million over three years in the Pioneer pilot, but expects it can do better under Next Generation, according to the Globe.

All three systems said Next Generation offered a more favorable outlook, setting benchmarks up front and offering the flexibility of telehealth and home health visits.

Twitter: @SusanJMorse