Value-based care at ‘critical juncture,’ new CMMI chief says

Dive Brief:

• The Biden administration has paused or pulled some models testing value-based payments in healthcare, but the new director of the CMS agency overseeing model testing said the slowdown doesn’t equate to waning motivation for its mission.
• Elizabeth Fowler, who took the reins at the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation a few months ago, said CMMI will focus on enacting fewer but more targeted models, speaking in her first public remarks since taking the helm.
• “In my view, we’re at a really critical juncture in the path to value-based care,” Fowler said at the National Association of Accountable Care Organizations’ spring conference on Tuesday, asking stakeholders for patience as CMMI reviews paused models and outlines a path forward.