A Provider's Path to Unlocking Smarter Decisions with Acumen's Dynamic Benchmarking Model

"I'm often asked by providers: 'If I'm moving into a value-based contract but don't have my own patient data, how do I tell my value story?'

My answer: start with reference datasets.

But then comes the next big question: 'Once I'm in a value-based contract, how do I track my performance, even before my payer tells me?'

That's where Accorded's Dynamic Benchmarking model changes the game."

In today's healthcare landscape, provider groups are constantly asked to do more with less data. The focus is on improving outcomes, managing costs, and proving value in risk-sharing arrangements. At Accorded, we designed Acumen's Dynamic Benchmarking (DB) model to be that missing piece of clarity, helping providers see not just what's happening in their data, but how they compare to real-world peers.

Unlike raw claims analyses that leave teams sifting for answers, Dynamic Benchmarking delivers apples-to-apples comparisons that are hyper-specific to your population, adjusted for age, gender, geography, and condition. It shows you, with precision:

• Where are we overspending?
• Is it unit cost or utilization (or something else) driving the gap?
• Which populations, regions, or conditions should we prioritize?

Why This Matters for Primary Care Provider Groups

For PCP groups, success often hinges on managing total cost of care and keeping patients healthy across diverse populations. DB helps by:

• Targeting interventions: Identify which age bands, genders, or chronic conditions are driving avoidable costs, so care management resources go where they matter most.

• Defending performance in value-based contracts: Use credible, benchmarked comparisons to demonstrate strong performance, or to justify the need for additional investment.

• Driving equity: Spot disparities in utilization and outcomes across demographic groups and address them proactively.

Example in action: Using DB, a large primary care provider network discovered that their diabetic patients aged 64+ were driving 25% higher ER utilization compared to peers. DB identified that much of this usage stemmed from avoidable acute care linked to poor outpatient follow-up or poor transitions of care. In response, the provider group launched targeted nurse-led care coordination, cutting ER visits in that cohort by 18% in the first year, unlocking shared savings and improving patient outcomes.

Why This Matters for Specialty Care Providers

For Specialists, success is tied to proving the value of high-cost interventions and aligning with partner network or referral strategies. DB supports them by providing:

• Condition-level clarity: Pinpoint where patients with conditions like COPD, diabetes, or cancer are over-utilizing certain services compared to peers.

• Geographic benchmarking: Understand how regional variations in practice patterns or pricing affect outcomes and negotiations.

• Business case support: Back up proposals for care programs, coding initiatives, or utilization management with data that stakeholders trust.

Example in action: An MSK provider used DB to uncover that imaging costs in one of their markets were 30% higher than benchmark, which was driven by practice variation rather than clinical need. With this insight on unit cost and utilization, they standardized post-op protocols across sites and introduced bundled imaging packages. The result: 20% reduction in imaging spend without compromising outcomes, strengthening their case in payer negotiations.

The Accorded Difference

Dynamic Benchmarking is not a dashboard - it's a decision engine. With credibility thresholds built in, DB derives benchmarks with a sound, actuarial backed approach.

By linking actual utilization and cost data to trusted national datasets, Acumen equips providers with the evidence to:

• Prioritize the biggest opportunities for improvement
• Align stakeholders around credible benchmarks
• Act faster, with confidence

At Accorded, we believe providers shouldn't have to guess where to focus. With Acumen's Dynamic Benchmarking, they don't have to.