National Association of ACOs (NAACOS) is founded in Washington DC.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 8, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Organizations representing over 60 Accountable Care Organizations (ACO) from more than 15 States have come together to form the National Association of ACOs. NAACOS is a 501 (c) 6 non-profit organization that allows ACOs to work together to increase quality of care, lower costs and improve the health of their communities. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) has recognized 258 organizations as ACOs, and private insurance plans are working with numerous other ACOs in cities across the US. "It is phenomenal that this many ACOs could come together in a matter of 8 weeks to form such an important organization," said Clif Gaus, NAACOS President. "While rapid, this is a natural evolution of what was an informal network of ACO executives recognizing the need for the ACO industry to have its voice clearly and consistently at the table as regulations and program rules are developed by CMS and the States.  Equally important is providing a forum for a peer to peer exchange of effective and efficient solutions to the myriad of operational challenges," explains Mike Barrett, the Chair of the NAACOS.  Membership is expected to exceed 100 ACOs by April, representing over 2.0 million Medicare assigned beneficiaries.

The NAACOS mission is:

• Fostering growth of accountable care models of care;
• Promoting industry-wide uniformity on quality and performance measures;
• Providing Peer-to-Peer learning experiences
• Highlighting clinical and operational best practices;
• Constructively engaging the vendor community, and
• Educating the public about the value of accountable care. 

The Association is sponsoring its first national conference and membership meeting in Baltimore, MD, March 19-21. Attendees will hear from key CMS leadership on the ACO programs and Medicare's Quality Reporting and Improvement Programs and have the opportunity to learn from one and other in peer-to-peer exchanges and breakout sessions. For information about NAACOS and the conference, visit www.naacos.com.

NAACOS is governed by an Interim Board of Directors until the permanent Board will be elected in June. The Interim Board includes:

Interim Board of Directors and General Counsel

Mike Barrett, NAACOS Chairman
Heritage California ACO
Northridge, CA

Ted Carpenter
President
Medicare Advantage Division, UAM
Houston, TX

Jay Cohen, MD
Executive Chairman
Monarch HealthCare, A Medical Group, Inc.
Irvine, CA

Randy Cook, MPH, FACMPE
President/CEO
AmpliPHY Physician Services
Columbia, TN

Karen Furbush
Business Consultant/Program Manager
John C Lincoln Accountable Care Organization, LLC
Phoenix, AZ

Clif Gaus
President and CEO
NAACOS
Bradenton, FL

Thomas Graf, MD
Chief Medical Officer, Population Health
Geisinger Health System
Danville, PA

Peter Gross, MD
Chair, ACO Board of Managers
HackensackAlliance ACO
Hackensack, NJ

Jeffrey Kang, MD
SVP Health and Wellness Division
Walgreens
Deerfield, IL

Kimberly Kauffman
Executive Director
Summit Health Solutions
Knoxville, TN

Stephen W. Nuckolls
Chief Executive Officer
Coastal Carolina Quality Care, Inc.
New Bern, NC                 

Ex Officio and General Counsel

Bruce Merlin Fried, Partner
SNR Denton US LLP 
Washington, DC

SOURCE National Association of ACOs