WellSpan Health Expands ACO with Penn Highlands Healthcare

Event summary

  • WellSpan Health will add Penn Highlands Healthcare to its Medicare Accountable Care Organization (ACO) starting January 2027.
  • The expansion will increase the ACO's patient base by 4,900, bringing the total to nearly 59,000 beneficiaries.
  • WellSpan’s ACO has saved the Medicare program over $70 million in total cost of care in the past four years.
  • Penn Highlands Healthcare serves rural counties across western Pennsylvania.

The big picture

WellSpan Health’s expansion of its ACO with Penn Highlands Healthcare underscores the growing trend of healthcare systems leveraging coordinated care models to reduce costs and improve patient outcomes. This move positions WellSpan among the largest ACOs nationwide, highlighting the strategic importance of scaling such programs to enhance affordability and accessibility in healthcare.

What we're watching

Scale Impact
How the addition of Penn Highlands will affect WellSpan’s ACO’s position among the largest in the country.
Operational Integration
Whether WellSpan can sustain its cost-saving performance with the expanded patient base.
Rural Healthcare Access
The pace at which WellSpan can extend high-quality, coordinated care to rural Pennsylvania.