You cannot control CMS raising cut points. But you can control how you respond. The 2026 requirements are clear. CMS is implementing risk-adjusted measures focused on Social Determinants of Health. The new Excellent Health Outcomes for All reward ties STAR ratings exclusively to performance among your hardest-to-engage members—Dual-Eligible, Low-Income Subsidy, and disabled populations. These changes…
Hospitals and health systems must take an abundance of measurements to succeed in value-based care. Jeanne Cohen believes healthcare leaders are overlooking the key to value-based care success: physician-level measurement. “Because physician decisions control quality and cost, visibility into that decision making is essential to VBC success,” she said. Cohen is founder and CEO of…
With the Trump administration resetting U.S. health policy priorities and the value-based payment model ending its 15th year, the University of Pennsylvania’s Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics (LDI) hosted a debate between two leading experts over a central question: Has value-based care earned its keep, or is it time to rethink the model? Part of…
With the government shutdown thankfully behind us, health systems can get back to business with some of the innovative programs that are producing great outcomes and satisfying patients. A growing number of Americans are receiving hospital-level care without leaving their living room, thanks to advanced technology and an evolving healthcare landscape that is delivering much…
Download Slides Join an expert panel discussion exploring what top ACOs are prioritizing for 2026. Topics include the growing role of digital health and AI in reducing total cost of care, lowering readmissions, enhancing transitional care, and leveraging actionable ADT feeds for better outcomes. Panelists:• David Klebonis, CEO, Palm Beach ACO• Beau Munoz, MD,…
When it launched in 2016, Long-Term Care ACO was the first ACO to focus on the population of Medicare beneficiaries who reside in long-term care nursing facilities, but now several other ACOs have entered that space. At the National Association of ACOs (NAACOS) fall meeting, Kristen Krzyzewski, chief strategy and program development officer for LTC…
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced record results for the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) in 2024, marking its most successful year since the program’s launch over a decade ago. The initiative generated $6.5 billion in savings, underscoring continued momentum in value-based care and cost-efficient, coordinated healthcare delivery nationwide. Record Savings and…
While deals in the substance use disorder treatment space have been slow over the past year, addiction provider Crossroads has had an eye on growth. Over the summer, the company completed a tuck-in acquisition of Family Health Services, expanding its reach in the Pennsylvania market. Today, the provider has more than 100 centers across nine…
Since its emergence more than two decades ago, participation in accountable care has become more established. In 2025, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) reported that more than half of Traditional Medicare beneficiaries are in an accountable care relationship. Considerable evidence indicates that patients benefit and costs are lower in coordinated, whole-person care models enabled by accountable care payment…
The CMS PFS Final Rule is out . . . early? If you’re wondering how, in the midst of the Shutdown, a 2,375-page Rule could be released, the answer is simple: most of the proposals from this summer were finalized as is. There are always exceptions, but the big takeaway is that this Rule solidifies CMS’s proposals…