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Since 2021, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS’s) Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (Innovation Center) has been guided by a renewed vision to build “a health system that achieves equitable outcomes through high-quality, affordable, and person-centered care.” Health equity is one of the five strategic objectives that guide this vision.
The Innovation Center tests value-based approaches to health care payment and service delivery that have the potential to lower program expenditures while preserving or enhancing quality of care for people with Medicare and Medicaid. Models, or pilot programs, that have been designed since the release of the 2021 strategy incorporate requirements for sociodemographic data collection and reporting, development of health equity plans, and screening and referral for health-related social needs (HRSNs). Many models also include innovative payment policies and supports for providers and suppliers caring for underserved populations. By making health equity a key component of the models, CMS aims to reach a more diverse group of health care providers and beneficiaries, connecting people with services they need to stay healthy, and strengthening the health care workforce.