By now the world knows that COVID-19 is a game-changer. Among a multitude of other events the pandemic has motivated the cancellation or rescheduling of HIMS20, NAACOs and nearly 30 other healthcare conferences. NAACOS and several other venues are responding with the prospect of offering virtual conferences. That option may or may not work for…
The COVID-19 outbreak will potentially boost Medicare spending over the next year from $38.5 billion to $115.4 billion, a new analysis found. The analysis released Wednesday by the National Association of Accountable Care Organizations also found that the increase in spending would lead to major losses for ACOs in models that take on financial risk….
ACOs and healthcare organizations that use global payment models will be particularly burdened by financial challenges related to COVID-19, according to an analysis from the National Association of ACOs. Five things to know: 1. The financial challenges will grow as more Medicare beneficiaries require COVID-19-related hospitalizations, intensive care treatment and post-acute care. Full Article
National projections suggest that hospitals may be overwhelmed with patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection in the coming months. Appropriately, much attention has addressed the acute challenges in caring for this surge of critically ill patients. What has received less attention, however, is what happens as patients—most of whom will recover, even in the…
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology’s (ONC) interoperability rule should weight the considerations of providers focused on advanced payment methods (APMs) and value-based care models, Clif Gaus, SD, president and CEO of NAACOS, wrote in a letter to ONC. In early March, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) finalized the ONC interoperability rule,…
During these difficult times for ACOs and the healthcare industry, NAACOS wanted to offer an update on how we’re fighting for relief on behalf our membership in Washington, D.C. Earlier today, NAACOS sent letters co-signed by nine other leading organizations to both CMS and House and Senate leaders on Capitol Hill, asking for support and policy changes to address expected spending…
Accountable care organizations (ACOs) in the Medicare Shared Savings Program and other shared risk models are worried the novel coronavirus pandemic could leave them responsible for shared losses beyond their control. The National Association of ACOs (NAACOS) recently voiced these concerns in an email to CMS Administrator Seema Verma. In the email obtained by RevCycleIntelligence, NAACOS…
The Trump administration on Monday announced that it will expand telehealth services for Medicare beneficiaries and cut back on HIPAA enforcement, the latest move to combat the coronavirus pandemic. Medicare will pay doctors and hospitals for a broad range of telehealth services on a temporary basis, effective March 6. The program will pay for office and…
Accountable care organizations (ACOs) are seeking flexibility from the Trump administration on mitigating any financial losses that could arise from treating the burgeoning coronavirus outbreak. The concerns come as the coronavirus has spread to more than 1,200 people across the country and has healthcare facilities worried about being overwhelmed. ACOs are in a particularly difficult…
Accountable care organizations that participate in the Medicare Shared Savings Program are concerned they will be on the hook for penalties and won’t receive shared savings this performance year because of the novel coronavirus. The National Association of ACOs has been hearing from members worried the COVID-19 outbreak will drive up Medicare beneficiary spending this…