CMS Administrator Seema Verma gave her first update on a major overhaul to the Stark law, saying that a key part of the regulation will remove a barrier to doctors participating in value-based arrangements. A major part of the agency’s updates to the anti-kickback law is clarifying areas of noncompliance for doctors and updating the…
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently finalizedchanges to the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP), its primary accountable care organization (ACO) program and most significant approach to constraining ballooning program costs while improving quality. These changes will require ACOs to transition more quickly to two-sided risk. The program has continued to grow and demonstrated some savings,…
As the feds look to push accountable care organizations to more quickly take on greater risk, a new report highlights common traits of ACOs that have already successfully taken that leap. Leavitt Partners analyzed ACOs across Medicare, including the Medicare Shared Savings Program, Pioneer ACOs and Next Generation ACOs, to find common threads among programs finding success…
As health systems seek growth opportunities in the employer market, participating in accountable care organizations (ACO), which originally sprang up within Medicare, is a potentially valuable approach. With larger employers increasingly exploring direct contracts with health systems including ACOs, a body of experience can be drawn upon from Medicare ACOs. There are currently 561 ACOs…
Five years ago—recognizing that the shift to value-based, personalized health care would have a profound and transformational impact on the industry—we launched ConvergeHEALTH. Our goal was to team up with leading health care institutions, technology companies, life sciences innovators, and patient advocacy groups to create new platforms and solutions to support this transformation for the…
Transforming raw data into actionable information is crucial to the financial future of provider organizations, especially as pressure builds on providers to align their care delivery approach with value-based care and consumerism in healthcare. However, many providers lack the time and money to implement this critical function. Fortunately, the right technology can assist providers in…
By the end of 2018, 74 of Medicare’s accountable care organizations (ACOs) departed the program, according to new analyses. The departures of 13 percent of Medicare ACOs left 487 remaining in the program in 2019, as identified in an analysis of recently released Medicare data by David Muhlestein, PhD, chief research officer at Leavitt Partners, and echoed…
As healthcare technology continues to advance, it presents ample opportunities for health systems and hospitals to enhance the patient experience. But implementing a new patient engagement technology is easier said than done, as organizations struggle with the technology selection process. The request for proposal (RFP) process is fraught with tough vendor decisions and an onslaught…
While CMS has embraced value-based reimbursement, the country’s health insurance companies are still far from widespread adoption, according to a new survey. The HealthEdge Voice of the Market survey revealed (PDF) that different payers and their affiliates will reach value-based care at different times, as clear discrepancies exist among adoption rates. About half (46.4%) of the 150 executives surveyed…
Why do medical practices reach out to their patients? The answer seems obvious — because patients who are engaged in their own care tend to be healthier, which makes the job of the physician easier and helps control costs. But if the answer is so obvious, why don’t more practices have effective Patient Engagement? A…