The answer to solving a healthcare crisis that exacerbates barriers to care among some of the most vulnerable patient populations in the country is staring us in the face. For rural hospitals straining under the weight of erratic patient volumes, sicker populations and lack of funding, the path forward is in value-based care. But providers…
The clock is winding down on the CMS Web Interface, and the reality of mandatory quality reporting via the Alternate Payment Model Performance Pathway (APP) for ACOs in 2022 is setting in. In order for ACOs to develop and execute their APP quality reporting plan in time to avoid catastrophe, it’s imperative to begin evaluating…
The Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently announced a directive to relax the requirement that surgeries for Medicare beneficiaries be performed only on an inpatient basis to qualify for reimbursement. Starting January 1, 2022, more than 250 musculoskeletal surgeries will be eliminated from the “inpatient-only list,” with an additional 1,500 surgeries eliminated in…
Pairing community health workers with adult inpatients under accountable care organization insurance coverage reduced readmissions and missed appointments with outpatient providers during the first 30 days of discharge, according to a recently published Massachusetts General Hospital study. While these trends were greater among patients who were discharged to short-term rehabilitation, a subgroup analysis found that…
The Triple Aim. The Quadruple Aim. Right care at the right place at the right time. Whether one works in a hospital or small independent practice, healthcare providers are leaning on these concepts to deliver valuable care to their patients, and that is in its simplest form: care that results in the best patient outcomes…
Earlier this month, the Biden administration announced it will commit $250 million in funding to improve COVID-19 vaccine health literacy in vulnerable and medically underserved communities. With the logistics of administering vaccines no longer an overwhelming question mark and an ample supply of doses available, vaccine hesitancy has quickly emerged as one of the biggest…
“I can see people again.” As the number of Americans fully vaccinated against Covid-19 grows daily, the collective feeling of liberation is emerging as the next chapter in our national pandemic story. “I can see people,” declares what we have been deprived of and want to receive — the nourishment of human interaction. However, though…
The COVID-19 pandemic has blown the doors wide open on telehealth, especially with new reimbursement parity policies. But value-based contracts can support the growing interest in remote patient monitoring and other virtual care services beyond the pandemic, according to telehealth experts at the Revenue Cycle Management Summit. “Remote patient monitoring programs are growing,” Andrew Solomon,…
The health care media are full of articles asserting that ACOs have proven their mettle in delivering health care of highest quality. Citing ACO quality reporting results, CMS and advocates point to the majority of ACOs passing CMS quality standards, and that ACOs are improving their results on quality measures over time. The vast majority…
“Low-value care” has been defined as care in which the potential for harm far outweighs possible benefits. When one has the opportunity to consider the phrase in conjunction with its definition, it evokes the notion that patients, their clinicians, and care team are discussing several dimensions of care, weighing the “pros” and “cons,” and arriving…