Medicare accountable care organizations (ACOs) are growing faster than non-Medicare ACOs, as the former now comprises more than half of all accountable care contracts nationwide, according to new analysis from the healthcare consulting business Leavitt Partners.

The report, “Growth and Dispersion of Accountable Care Organizations: August 2013 Update," details how the growth and proliferation of accountable care initiatives has unabatedly continued over the last twelve months. The broad adoption of accountable care paired with the emergence of preliminary results has provided some clarity to the overall accountable care movement, it says.

Leavitt Partners is currently tracking 488 accountable care entities through the end of July 2013, more than double the number from June 2012. But with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announcing hundreds of new Medicare Shared Savings Program participants, Medicare ACOs surged ahead this year.

Nevertheless, the report notes that commercial ACOs continue to develop and are announced on a rolling basis, while there will be no new Medicare ACOs until January 2014. And while there are many different models of accountable care, no single model has emerged as most successful, according to Leavitt Partners.