ACO REACH - Direct Contracting Redesigned with Enhanced Focus on Health Equity

The Innovation Center at the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced that it will be sun-setting the Global and Professional Direct Contracting Model(GPDC) effective January 1st, 2023, and replacing it with a revised program called the Accountable Care Organization Realizing Equity, Access, and Community Health Model, or ACO REACH. The ACO REACH program aims to improve the quality of care for Medicare beneficiaries, with an enhanced focus on those beneficiaries who are underserved. This whitepaper discusses the goals and key changes of this new program, as well as the application timeline.