Introduction
Two respected nonprofit healthcare organizations are joining forces to reshape Medicare care delivery. OCHIN and Community Care Cooperative (C3) have officially announced a new Accountable Care Organization (ACO) partnership. Together, they aim to strengthen care quality and financial sustainability for hundreds of community health organizations across the United States. This partnership serves approximately 250,000 Medicare-eligible patients nationwide.
What This New Partnership Offers
The new Medicare ACO combines complementary strengths from both organizations. Specifically, it brings together OCHIN’s Epic EHR platform and data-driven insights with C3’s decade of ACO operations and value-based care expertise. The result is a robust, integrated solution for more than 300 rural and community care organizations across both provider networks.
Furthermore, the partnership delivers enhanced care management tools and creates measurable opportunities for shared savings. Community health centers gain access to financial forecasts, consulting support, and the infrastructure needed to participate in value-based payment models. This combination makes it far easier for smaller organizations to navigate a complex and shifting payment landscape.
Why Community Health Centers Need This Solution
A Growing Patient Population
Community health centers serve over 32 million patients in the U.S. Many of these patients are aging and approaching Medicare eligibility. This demographic surge places significant pressure on organizations that are already managing tight budgets and limited resources. Consequently, the demand for effective, scalable value-based care models has never been greater.
Financial Sustainability Challenges
Rising care costs represent a serious threat to community-based providers. Moreover, many rural and safety-net clinics lack the infrastructure to compete effectively in value-based arrangements on their own. The OCHIN and C3 ACO directly addresses this gap. It gives member organizations the tools and support they need to reduce costs, improve outcomes, and generate shared savings that flow back into their communities.
Maintaining Local Access to Care
One of the most critical goals of this partnership is ensuring patients can keep seeing their trusted local providers. For many Medicare-eligible individuals — especially those in rural areas — continuity of care with a known provider is essential. Therefore, this ACO model protects those relationships while simultaneously improving the financial health of the organizations delivering that care.
How OCHIN and C3 Each Contribute
OCHIN’s Role: Technology and Data
OCHIN brings more than 25 years of health IT expertise to this partnership. The organization continues to provide the OCHIN Epic EHR platform to community health care organizations. In addition, OCHIN delivers data-driven consultative support to help members identify care gaps, track quality metrics, and improve clinical outcomes. This technology backbone gives health centers actionable insights they can use immediately.
C3’s Role: ACO Expertise and Risk Management
C3 contributes a decade of experience operating successful risk-bearing ACOs for Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs). Notably, C3 is the only national ACO governed entirely by its FQHC members. The organization provides a comprehensive suite of Medicare ACO options and offers member organizations consulting services, financial assessments, and strategic guidance. Since 2018, C3 has generated more than $200 million in shared savings and incentive payments for its partners.
Leadership Voices on the New ACO
OCHIN President and CEO Abby Sears highlighted the partnership’s transformative potential. She noted that shared organizational values underpin the collaboration, creating real opportunities to expand access to quality care. She also emphasized that the model generates shared savings to support financial viability as health centers adapt to industry pressures and serve aging communities.
C3 CEO Christina Severin echoed that optimism. She stated that the partnership equips community health centers with the value-based care infrastructure, data, and tools needed to succeed. She added that the collaboration will expand access to quality care for patients and build a more sustainable future for community-based primary care.
Who Can Join the Network
Both OCHIN and C3 actively welcome new community health organizations into their networks. Rural clinics, FQHCs, and safety-net providers interested in pursuing value-based Medicare payment models can explore membership through either organization’s website. The solution is now available and open to organizations seeking a credible, mission-aligned path to ACO participation.
Conclusion
The OCHIN and C3 Medicare ACO partnership marks a meaningful step forward for community-based healthcare. By combining technology leadership with proven ACO expertise, the two nonprofits offer a compelling and practical path to value-based care. Ultimately, both patients and providers stand to benefit — patients through better coordinated, locally accessible care, and providers through improved financial sustainability and stronger clinical support.
