DETROIT — On Sept. 26, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued quality and financial performance results showing that Medicare Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) have improved patient care and produced hundreds of millions of dollars in savings for the program.

According to a press release issued by United Outstanding Physicians and Southeast Michigan Accountable Care, in addition to providing more Americans with access to quality, affordable health care, the Affordable Care Act encourages doctors, hospitals and other health care providers to work together to better coordinate care and keep people healthy rather than treat them when they are sick, which also helps reduce healthcare costs. In an ACO, providers who join these groups become eligible to share savings with Medicare when they deliver that care more efficiently.

ACOs in the Medicare Shared Savings Program and Pioneer ACO Model generated more than $372 million in total program savings for Medicare ACOs. The news comes from preliminary quality and financial results from the second year of performance for 23 Pioneer ACOs, and final results from the first year of performance for 220 Shared Savings Program ACOs.