February 23rd 2024
While adopting new payment models can come with challenges, there are strategies that can help oncology practices optimize their approaches, said Kathy Oubre, MS, CEO of Pontchartrain Cancer Center.
February 14th 2024
Predictability and Simplicity Needed to Help ACOs Take on Risk, Panelists Say at NAACOS
October 8th 2018During the opening plenary and panel at the fall 2018 meeting of the National Association of ACOs (NAACOS), Adam Boehler, of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, highlighted the fact that CMS has to provide predictability and simplicity to get more accountable care organizations to take on risk and succeed, but that those who are not "cutting it" should "get out of the way" for others.
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Dr Rob Fields Discusses How the Proposed MSSP Changes Impact Decisions Around ACOs
October 8th 2018Rob Fields, MD, assistant profession, family medicine and community health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and senior vice president, chief medical officer, population health at Mount Sinai Health System, discusses how Mount Sinai’s accountable care organizations (ACOs) will have to adjust to the proposed CMS Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) changes.
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Dr Clif Gaus Highlights Excitement and Anxiety at NAACOS Fall 2018 Meeting
October 6th 2018Accountable care organizations (ACOs) are of 2 minds right now. On the one hand, there is a lot of excitement for the future of ACOs, but there is also great anxiety around the changes that CMS proposed for the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP), said Clif Gaus, ScD, president and CEO of the National Association of ACOs (NAACOS).
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Cancer Types Can Impact How Well Providers May Perform Under OCM
October 5th 2018The type of cancer a provider treats can determine how well he or she performs under the Oncology Care Model (OCM), according to research from Avalere Health that was presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Quality Care Symposium.
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Dr Joe Antos: CMS' Proposed MSSP Changes Don't Account for Variability in Healthcare
October 5th 2018The proposed CMS regulation to change the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) so that accountable care organizations (ACOs) take on risk faster creates a one-size-fits-all model that doesn’t allow for variability, said Joe Antos, PhD, the Wilson H. Taylor Resident Scholar in Health Care and Retirement Policy at the American Enterprise Institute.
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Dr Suzanne Delbanco: Employers Have a History of Pushing for Healthcare Transformation
September 26th 2018Since they foot the bill for a lot of Americans’ healthcare costs, employers have a lot vested in the health of their populations and have been involved with pushing for healthcare transformation, said Suzanne Delbanco, PhD, MPH, executive director of Catalyst for Payment Reform.
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Review Finds Mixed Results for APMs and New Care Delivery Models in Cancer
September 23rd 2018With cancer costs rising and patients with cancer disproportionately facing financial toxicity, alternative payment and care delivery models are thought to help alleviate some of the cost burden. However, a review finds limited evidence available to evaluate the efficacy of alternative payment and care models in cancer care.
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NAACOS-Funded Study: ACOs Saved the Government $541.7M in 2013-2015
September 19th 2018A new report contradicts CMS’ claim that the Medicare Shared Savings Program increased Medicare spending by $344 million from 2013 to 2015. The new analysis finds that accountable care organizations (ACOs) actually reduced federal spending by $542 million after accounting for shared savings payments earned.
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NCCN Working Group Policy Recommendations Address Changing Paradigms in Cancer Care
September 16th 2018A National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) working group dedicated to analyzing current challenges under existing policy and treatment paradigms presented their findings and recommendations at an NCCN Policy Summit in Washington, DC.
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Delivering High-Quality Care Under Value-Based Payment Models: Where Are We Now?
September 15th 2018As the term “value” has become a norm in healthcare, specifically in oncology, panelists at a National Comprehensive Cancer Network policy summit offered perspectives on where we are now in delivering high-quality cancer care under value-based payment models.
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Medical Groups Tell CMS to Stand Down From Linking Reimbursement to Paperwork Burdens
September 11th 2018Over 14,600 comments poured into CMS to meet a deadline to comment about proposed changes to its 2019 physician fee schedule for Medicare, with many physician organizations and individuals asking the agency to halt or slow down its plans to cut physician reimbursement for evaluation and management services. While some groups cheered some of the changes—such as broader coverage for telehealth and other digital monitoring—most expressed many concerns.
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Dr Suzanne Delbanco: Outcomes, Growth of Value-Based Payment Movement Remain Mixed
September 10th 2018The pace of change to value-based payments has been happening quickly, but the real test is whether or not these payments produce higher quality and more affordable care, said Suzanne Delbanco, PhD, MPH, executive director of Catalyst for Payment Reform.
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Lay Health Workers May Provide Value for Patients With Cancer in New Payment Models
September 2nd 2018As the healthcare system considers alternative payment models that reward high-value care delivery, programs that utilize lay health workers (LHW) may be valuable. A study in JAMA Oncology analyzed whether an LHW program can increase the documentation of patients’ care preferences.
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This Week in Managed Care: August 31, 2018
August 31st 2018This week, the top managed care stories included encouraging results from the Next Generation Accountable Care Organization model; concerns that CMS' new billing rules will hurt the sickest patients; a study confirms the value of daily aspirin for patients with diabetes.
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Dr Suzanne Delbanco on Employers and ACO Arrangements
August 30th 2018Suzanne Delbanco, PhD, MPH, executive director of Catalyst for Payment Reform, explains how her organization is helping employers better understand accountable care organizations (ACOs) and judge how the ACO model might work with their population.
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Next Generation ACO Model Saves $62 Million in First Year
August 28th 2018In 2016, the Next Generation Accountable Care Organization (ACO) model generated a net savings of $62 million to Medicare, representing a 1.1% net reduction in Medicare spending. In a webcast with the Accountable Care Learning Collaborative, CMS Administrator Seema Verma called the results a strong start and offered a look at what's in the future for the model.
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Before Paying for Hospital-at-Home Programs, Clinical and Policy Issues Need to Be Addressed
August 26th 2018In a new commentary in JAMA Internal Medicine, authors highlighted the results of the hospital-at-home (HaH) program at Mount Sinai Health System that resulted in the Physician-Focused Payment Model Technical Advisory Committee recommending full implementation of the bundled HaH program, as well as clinical and policy issues raised by the program.
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MSSP Changes Present Opportunities, but Likely to Decrease Number of ACOs, NAACOS Says
August 23rd 2018The proposed Medicare Shared Savings Program rule has many sweeping changes that present a number new opportunities, but also challenges. In addition, the National Association of ACOs highlighted its concerns that the changes will decrease the number of ACOs and may discourage new entrants.
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