PHOENIX (Oct. 3, 2025) — Performance data for accountable care organizations (ACOs) in the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services places Banner Health Network among the best in quality and in the top half nationally in savings. Banner Health Network (BHN) providers helped Medicare save millions of dollars by continuing to meet quality and cost goals. BHN is part of the Advanced Track MSSP, which is the highest level of financial risk in the program.
According to the Medicare data, BHN received a quality score that was in the top 2% in the country compared to ACOs nationally. Quality scores are earned on performance measures that include diabetes, blood pressure control, breast cancer and prevention of cardiovascular disease, among others.
“Our group of physicians are truly exceptional as they continue to focus on helping Medicare save millions of dollars while also delivering quality care for our nearly 70,000 Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries,” said Ed Clarke, MD, chief medical officer for Banner Health Plans and Networks division. “We’re always striving to meet or exceed quality and cost goals in a complex market with the largest number of beneficiaries in Arizona. It’s exciting to see the model work for our provider partners while improving the health of Arizonans.”
The $28.8 million of gross savings to Medicare in 2024 resulted in a shared savings payment of $21.1 million to BHN, which has partnered with the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services since 2012 and has generated more than $240 million in savings to Medicare while continuing to see high quality scores. BHN shared in this savings for 12 of the past 13 years, and these rewards fund the BHN provider rewards program which incentivizes quality of care, reducing avoidable spending, and the patient experience.
A market-based solution to fragmented and costly care, ACOs empower local physicians, hospitals and other providers to work together and take responsibility for improving quality, enhancing patient experience and keeping care affordable. The Medicare Shared Savings Program creates incentives for ACOs to invest in transforming care by allowing them to share in savings they generate after meeting defined quality and cost goals.
To achieve these results, BHN providers work to increase the number of Medicare beneficiaries taking advantage of annual wellness visits, including recommended screenings and preventive care. The ACO also focuses on ensuring smooth patient transitions from the hospital to home—or a nursing home if needed. All ACO providers receive detailed information about their performance on quality measures. And clinicians and providers share best practices to coordinate the care beneficiaries receive from different primary care and specialty providers and to prevent health issues and repeat hospitalizations. Banner Health MSSP Network includes nearly 1,000 primary care providers who serve Maricopa and Pinal counties, joining with both Banner employed and community-based physician practices.
Banner Health Network was designed to provide a highly coordinated patient care experience for beneficiaries of government and private insurance plans. BHN is comprised of more than 5,000 Banner Health-affiliated physicians, 15 Phoenix-area Banner hospitals, and a variety of other clinical services and facilities arranged into eight “neighborhoods” across Arizona’s Maricopa County and parts of Pinal County. With engaged physicians, a population health management focus and sophisticated health information technology as support, Banner Health Network seeks to provide high quality care at an affordable price. Parent company, Banner Health, is one of the largest nonprofit health systems in the country, with operations in six states.
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