A patient’s social determinants of health will influence access to chronic kidney disease screening and diagnosis and treatment of CKD, researchers reported here. “Clinical guidelines suggest regular chronic kidney disease (CKD) screening after diagnosis of hypertension (HTN) or type 2 diabetes (T2DM), as both are risk factors,” Marybeth Ingle, PhD, MPH, and colleagues wrote. “Monitoring…
More than 40 House lawmakers have asked congressional leaders to support value-based payment incentives and extend the 5 percent bonus for Alternative Payment Model (APM) participation. In a bipartisan letter sent to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, the House members emphasized how the APM incentive payments help providers shift from fee-for-service…
Value-based payment (VBP) is a powerful and widespread health care transformation movement that has potential to improve health equity. The care delivery and payment flexibility possible under VBP (for example, to address social needs or hire community health workers), and the care coordination emphasized, are difficult at best or impossible at worst under fee-for-service reimbursement….
Getting access to timely and quality healthcare can be a challenge for the average person. But for patients in rural areas, underserved communities, and certain marginalized racial or ethnic groups, the problems are even greater. A limited number of providers in the community, difficulty finding transportation to and from doctors’ offices, and even communication challenges…
Accountable care organizations (ACOs) were handed a big win in the 2023 Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) with several changes to the shared savings program that will likely encourage participation. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized changes to the Medicare Shared Savings Program, which is the nation’s largest ACO program that covers more…
EHR innovation platforms that complement value-based care models could help address clinician burnout, according to preliminary findings from an American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) Innovation Laboratory study. While clinician burnout is a concern across the healthcare industry, it is especially high among family medicine clinicians. Half of family physicians report one symptom of burnout,…
People who qualify for Medicare and Medicaid on the basis of a combination of low-income status and age, disability, or end-stage renal disease, also known as dual eligibles, remain a focus of research and policy making because of their complex insurance coverage and high health care costs. Nationally, there are approximately twelve million dual eligibles:…
Social determinants of health (SDOH) are associated with severe visual impairment (SVI), according to a study published in JAMA Ophthalmology. Employment status, socioeconomic status, race and ethnicity, and health care coverage all correlated with higher odds of SVI. There are 32 million Americans who have reported blindness or difficulty seeing despite glasses or contact lens…
Research supports what most Americans understand intuitively: A person’s health is strongly linked to where they live, learn, work and play. These variables, often stratified by race, are known as social determinants of health (SDOH), and they include everything from education and employment to food, transportation and safety.1 To see SDOH in action, consider that during…
The final rule for 2023 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) was released November 1, 2022. It will have the biggest impact on your ACO’s financial opportunities and downside risk exposure since the introduction of the Pathways to Success program. The changes are significant enough that this rule can be thought of as the third generation…