The Daily Briefing editorial team rounds up recent accountable care news.
- Trump's HHS nominee talks CMMI. Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.), President Trump's nominee for HHS secretary, told the Senate Finance Committee Tuesday—during his final confirmation hearing—that CMS' Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) may need to be reformed. Price said he is "a strong supporter of innovation," but he felt that CMMI "has gotten off track a bit" by "mandatorily dictating to physicians how they must practice." He said he hopes "that we can move CMMI in a direction that actually makes sense for patients" and that the center could be a tool for improving certain health care programs.
- Three lessons from population health innovators. The transition to population health is driving a massive wave of innovation in the health care industry—and organizations leading the charge are thinking about return on investment (ROI) in new ways. Hospitals and health system are using strategies such as customized primary care offerings, on-demand care management, and investments to address the social determinants of health to evolve their population health efforts. The key, says Advisory Board practice manager Tomi Ogundimu, is to develop an innovation mindset. "Providers should not be afraid to experiment when they see opportunities to boost efficiency, make services more accessible, and lower the total cost of care," Ogundimu said. "One hospital CEO told me last year, 'I don't care if our teams try and fail as long as they try. We won't know what's possible in pushing the envelope if we don't try new things.'"
- Medical groups push for a sustained focus on value-based care. The American Medical Group Association (AMGA) wants Congress to stay focused on the transition to value-based care and to ensure providers have the support they need to succeed under the Quality Payment Program. In a letter to House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), AMGA President and CEO Donald Fisher wrote, "Our priorities are based on the need to address the obstacles that are preventing providers from succeeding in a risk-based system that values and rewards quality instead of the volume of services provided." Among other recommendations, AMGA said providers should be given access to standardized claims data and be permitted to invest in infrastructure that enables value-based care on a tax-free basis.
From Advisory Board:
- You were selected for CPC+: Now what? Join Advisory Board EVP and CMO Dennis Weaver for a webconference on Tuesday, Jan. 31, as he discusses the implications of CPC+ for the selected participants as well as those not included. He'll review strategic priorities to guide organizations through these changes and also take your questions.
- Understanding care management's patient engagement challenge. Join us for a webconference on Wednesday, Feb. 8, when we'll provide an introduction to the three key phases of patient engagement: Recruit to Care Management; Equip Patients to Change Behaviors; and Graduate to Self-Management.
- Survivorship: More than just a care plan. While most cancer programs today are working toward providing patients with survivorship care plans, a nationally representative survey of cancer patients reveals that the quality of survivorship discussions is still falling short. Find out where this survey indicates survivorship discussions have the greatest room for improvement.