The American Medical Group Association (AMGA) recommended several steps regarding accountable care organization (ACO) financial risk advancement in the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) in a letter to CMS. CMS’ decision to defer the automatic advancement of ACOs in the MSSP and allow ACOs to remain in their current risk level of the BASIC Track’s…
Accountable care organization (ACO) growth has hit a snag again, with the COVID-19 pandemic impacting the number of ACOs in public and private contracts, according to a new analysis. The analysis published in the Health Affairs blog found that ACO growth has plateaued over the last couple of years, starting in 2019 when CMS introduced…
The past year saw multiple developments that could affect payment reform—a new administration was getting up to speed, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was debated and its implementation modified through legislative and regulatory changes, and questions were raised about the future of alternative payment models. Despite this, implementation of the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization…
Payers that implemented value-based payment models reduced healthcare costs by an average of 5.6 percent, improved provider collaboration, and created more impactful member engagement, according to a new study from Change Healthcare. The Finding the Value: The State of Value-Based Care in 2018 report, presented at the 2018 AHIP Expo, found that payers are effectively…
Value-based care networks are a promising opportunity for payers that want to manage costs and improve outcomes of beneficiaries. But effectively scaling collaborative, risk-based reimbursement networks for millions of beneficiaries requires a great deal of strategy and insight. The BlueCross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) has successfully scaled its value-based care initiatives through the Blue Distinction…