SINGLE
ENTITY BOARD SEAT CALL FOR NOMINATIONS ENDS JULY 12
NAACOS is soliciting nominations for our
2024 board member election for single entity ACO representatives only,
which will open in August. To be a NAACOS board member, the candidate
must be employed as an executive of a NAACOS member ACO in good standing
now and during the term of office. For the 2024 Board, the election will
fill two ACO single entity board seats. ANYONE may nominate someone for
the single entity representative board seat, but only single entity ACOs
will vote for these representatives. Expectations for board members, as
well as the information about what needs to be
submitted is available. Self-nominations are permitted and
preferred. The call for nominations will close on July 12.
NAACOS ADVOCACY
HOUSE
COMMITTEE HOLDS HEARING ON MEDICARE PAYMENT POLICIES The
House Energy and Commerce Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee held a hearing last week
discussing implementation of the Medicare Access and CHIP
Reauthorization Act (MACRA). NAACOS was invited to testify before the
subcommittee to answer questions about implementing alternative payment
models (APMs), including ACOs. Aisha Pittman, senior vice president of
government affairs, represented NAACOS at the hearing which was a
tremendous opportunity for NAACOS to advocate for continued incentives
for practices in APMs, along with discussing ways that Congress can
improve Medicare’s payment system to advance value.
HELP
NAACOS ELEVATE OUR VOICE ON KEY TOPICS NAACOS continually
demonstrates how ACOs can help address some of the key challenges in
health care. We need your stories and examples to help elevate our role.
Please reach out to advocacy@naacos.com
if you have implemented strategies in these areas, which are currently a
focus for Congress and the administration:
Drug pricing, specifically addressing the Part B spending costs
in your ACO
Behavioral health
Workforce, specifically how participation in ACOs has helped you
reshape care teams to reduce clinician burden
JOIN
TODAY’S DISCUSSION WITH CMS ON MSSP’S BENEFICIARY NOTIFICATION
This afternoon at 2:00pm ET, NAACOS will host an informative webinar
featuring CMS speakers John Pilotte, director of the Performance-Based
Payment Policy Group, and Cathy LaRuffa, director of the Division of ACO
Management and Compliance at the Center for Medicare, to discuss recent
changes to the beneficiary notification requirements in the Medicare
Shared Savings Program (MSSP). It’s not too late to register!
For those unable to attend the session live, a recording and a copy of the slides will be made
available.
NAACOS
SUBMITS FEEDBACK ON DUALS DISCUSSION DRAFT LEGISLATION
This week, NAACOS provided feedback to a group of senators working on
legislation to improve the quality of care for individuals dually
eligible for Medicare and Medicaid. The senators initially solicited
feedback through a public request for information
(RFI) in late 2022, on which NAACOS provided comments. This
spring, the offices followed up with NAACOS to seek feedback on draft
legislation that would, among other things, require states to implement
integrated care programs for duals in collaboration with the
Medicare-Medicaid Coordination Office. NAACOS’ comments highlight the
need for alignment across Medicare and Medicaid, rather than creating
separate requirements for duals programs, and for policies that
facilitate ACOs’ ability to contract with states to provide integrated
care for duals.
CONGRESSIONAL UPDATES
LAWMAKERS
RETURN IN JULY WITH LONG LIST OF PRIORITIES The House and
Senate are in recess until July 12. When lawmakers return to Washington,
attention will turn to passing Fiscal Year 2024 spending bills and
debating expiring health programs. NAACOS is also working with members
in the House to reintroduce the Value in Health Care Act in July. The
updated version of the bill will focus on developing effective benchmark
guardrails for ACOs, extending APM incentives, and studying ways to
increase parity between APMs and Medicare Advantage.
MEDICARE
ADVISORS SEND JUNE REPORT TO CONGRESS The Medicare
Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) sent its June Report to Congress. The
report includes an overview of Medicare’s health delivery system and
includes chapters on telehealth, drug coverage, Medicare Advantage,
behavioral health, telehealth, and reforming Medicare payments.
Recommendations. The report recommends that
Congress more closely align payment rates across ambulatory
settings and repeal the existing Medicare wage index statutes.
It also highlights that Medicare should consider reducing
telehealth payment rates and gather more data to shape future
reimbursements.
ACOs and behavioral health. The report also
includes a chapter on behavioral health that highlights studies
showing how ACOs have not yet fully integrated these types of
services into primary care models.
NAACOS wants to hear how your ACO is addressing
behavioral health challenges. Please reach out to advocacy@naacos.com
and share your ACO’s story.
ADMINISTRATION UPDATES
OIG
RELEASES FINAL RULES ON INFORMATION BLOCKING The
Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General
(HHS-OIG) released a final rule implementing
information blocking penalties created by the 21st Century Cures Act.
Enforcement will begin 60 days following publication of the final rule
in the Federal Register. The final rule amends the civil money penalty
regulations and its penalties apply to health information exchanges,
health information networks, and IT developers with certified health IT
products. It is expected that a proposed rule regarding fines for health
care providers related to information blocking will be released this
fall. The rule explains the OIG’s approach to enforcement, which will
focus on information blocking allegations that pose greater risk to
patients, providers and health care programs as well as OIG’s
anticipated consultation with the Office of the National Coordinator for
Health Information Technology (ONC) in reviewing and investigating
allegations. More information is available.
ESRD
PROPOSED RULE RELEASED BY CMS On June 26, CMS released
the Calendar Year 2024 end-stage renal disease (ESRD) Prospective
Payment System (PPS) for renal dialysis services. CMS is proposing to
increase the ESRD PPS base rate to $269.99, increasing total payments to
ESRD facilities by approximately 1.6 percent. The CMS fact sheet and proposed rule are available.
Comments are due by August 25.
PARTNERSHIP
FOR QUALITY MEASUREMENT LAUNCHES The Partnership for Quality Measurement (PQM) will
replace the National Quality Forum’s consensus-based endorsement and
maintenance process for quality measures used in CMS programs. The new
process will be launched this fall. The new contractor, Battelle, will
hold an informational webinar on these
changes on June 30 at 12:00 pm ET. More information regarding membership
opportunities is available on the PQM website.
CHECK
YOUR 2022 QPP PREVIEW REPORTS CMS has provided final
Performance Year (PY) 2022 Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS)
scores, available on the Quality Payment Program (QPP)
portal. During the MIPS Final Score Preview Period, clinicians
and ACOs can review final scores in advance of the corresponding 2024
payment adjustments taking effect. Final scores and payment adjustment
information will be released in August 2023. Please check your scores
and share if you find any discrepancies or errors by emailing us at advocacy@naacos.com. You should
also contact the QPP Service Center with any errors or issues at QPP@cms.hhs.gov. Note scores are
not final and could change between now and August if CMS identifies
issues during this preview period that require system-wide scoring
changes. Following the final adjustment information shared in August,
there will be a 60-day targeted review period during which you can
contest your score. CMS also posted the PY 2021 QPP Experience Report.
CMS
HOSTS MCP MODEL OVERVIEW WEBINAR On June 27, CMS hosted a webinar to provide
additional information about the recently-announced Making Care
Primary (MCP) Model, which launches July
1, 2024. For those who were unable to attend, a recording and slides will be made
available shortly. Organizations interested in participating in MCP can
now submit a non-binding letter of intent to the Center for Medicare and
Medicaid Innovation (CMMI). More information on MCP and the
model’s implications for ACOs is available.
EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES
WORKSHOP
AND AGENDA ANNOUNCED FOR FALL 2023 CONFERENCE Join us September 20–22, 2023 at
the Marriott Marquis Washington, D.C. for the fall conference!
Pre-conference indepth workshops will be held September 20 from 1:00 to
5:00 pm ET. The workshop topics are MA and Other
ACO Contracts; Specialist Engagement; and Reporting eCQMs. In addition
to our workshops and plenaries with CMS officials and other value-based
care leaders, 16 breakout sessions will deliver actionable knowledge for
new and experienced ACOs in all models. Full agenda is now available!
Virtual
and in-person registration options are available and, as always, the
entire conference will be recorded. Register early and save! Register before August 4 for either the in-person
or virtual conference and receive a discount.
Exhibitor and
sponsor opportunities are going fast! The conference will feature
exhibitors with products and services specifically for the accountable
care community. Check out the prospectus for new and fun opportunities
and reserve your space today!
SAVE
THE DATE FOR WEBINAR ON ASSESSING APM OPPORTUNITIES
Today’s ACOs are participating in more than just Medicare ACOs, and many
of our members want to understand how their peers have successfully
handled this. NAACOS will host a webinar on July 10 from 1:00–2:00
pm ET on determining which CMS or other payor program is best for your
ACO. Emily Brower, SVP, Clinical Integration and Physician Services,
Trinity Health, and Mark Angelo, MD, MHA, FACP, President & CEO,
Delaware Valley ACO will discuss how their ACOs make participation
decisions, including the differences in approach by organizational
structure. Jennifer Moore, MBA, President of the MaineHealth Accountable
Care Organization, will moderate the discussion. Please send any
questions for the speakers in advance to Melody
Danko-Holsomback, VP of Education, NAACOS, by July 1, 2023. If
time permits during the webinar, additional questions can be asked. Register Now!
DISCOVERY
CALL ON QCDR SCHEDULED FOR JULY 24 Is your ACO reporting
on MIPS or are you considering using the Qualified Clinical Data
Registries (QCDR) method? Are you wondering what other ACOs have done
and what vendors they used to report successfully? Sign-up today for a QCDR discussion with ACO
peers on July 24 from 4:00–5:00 pm ET. On this call, CarolAnn Hudson,
clinical director, population health at LifePoint Health, and Willson
Gabbard and team from Advocate Health will start the conversation with
their experiences reporting via QCDR and the RFP process. This event is
provided to follow up on numerous inquiries from members on the NAACOS
ListServ.
AFFINITY
GROUP SUMMER SESSIONS STARTED THIS WEEK Following a break
over the Fourth of July week, affinity groups will resume for the
remainder of the summer. See below for upcoming dates and ensure they
are on your calendar. If you have not signed up yet, there is still time
to make this round of peer-to-peer meetings. You may sign up for more
than one group if your role is diverse and you manage or work in
multiple areas.
WHAT WE’RE WATCHING: NEWS ABOUT ACOS AND HEALTH
CARE
Follow The Alliance for Value-Based Patient Care on social
media. This multi-stakeholder coalition led by NAACOS promotes
value-based care to policymakers. The Alliance will post updates
and stories on Twitter and LinkedIn that you’ll want
to follow!
A bipartisan group of House and Senate members reintroduced the Creating
Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies
(CONNECT) for Health Act. The bill expands telehealth coverage
in Medicare and makes permanent the COVID-19 telehealth
flexibilities.
