UPDATE: CMS's ACO REACH savings and evaluation numbers still disagree, LEAD decision pending

Plus: CMS details LEAD Model's capitated payment menu and 10-year risk commitment. The day's rules, money, and enforcement, sourced and tiered below.

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Plus: CMS details LEAD Model's capitated payment menu and 10-year risk commitment. The day's rules, money, and enforcement, sourced and tiered below.

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The Service Line Monday, August 3, 2026
UPDATE: CMS's ACO REACH savings and evaluation numbers still disagree, LEAD decision pending
Plus: CMS details LEAD Model's capitated payment menu and 10-year risk commitment. The day's rules, money, and enforcement, sourced and tiered below.
Report  Confidence: Medium
CMS's own scorecard on the accountable care model it is retiring next year tells two different stories at once: record settlement savings, but its independent evaluator says Medicare spending is still going up, not down.
The 2024 settlement credits ACO REACH with $988.3M in net savings. CMS's third evaluation report says net spending rose 0.8% in 2023, narrowing to 0.2% in 2024. No public list of accepted LEAD Model participants exists yet.
Why it matters
CMS's own numbers on its flagship accountable care model contradict each other right as ACOs decide whether to sign a ten-year commitment to its successor; watch for whether CMS ever reconciles the two methodologies.
Sources: Fiercehealthcare · CMS · CMS
Rule  Confidence: High
Medicare just published the actual paycheck mechanics for the accountable care model replacing ACO REACH in 2027, a menu of monthly capitated payments instead of a savings check once a year.
ACOs choose Primary Care Capitation or, at full risk, Total Care Capitation covering all Part A and B spending. An upfront cash advance option must be repaid in full. The commitment runs 10 years, double MSSP's cycle.
Why it matters
Medicare is replacing an annual savings check with monthly capitated payments for accountable care organizations, a structural shift that locks participants in for twice as long as the current model.
Sources: CMS · CMS
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