THIS IS IT! EARLY RATE ENDS THIS FRIDAY The extended deadline for a discounted registration for the 2023 Fall Conference ends Friday, August 11 at 5:00 pm ET. Register now to save on both the in-person and virtual conferences. All registrants receive access to the recorded conference sessions for six months.
The fall conference will take place September 20-22, 2023, at the Marriott Marquis Washington, D.C. In addition to our plenaries with CMS officials and other value-based care leaders, 16 breakout sessions will deliver actionable knowledge for new ACOs joining the MSSP and REACH models, rural ACOs, independent primary care ACOs, and experienced ACOs in all models. The full agenda is now available! In conjunction with the fall conference, NAACOS is offering three concurrent workshops that take a deep dive into key issues facing ACOs. Pre-conference workshops will be held September 20 from 1-5 pm ET. These workshops require separate registration from the main meeting.
Exhibitor and sponsor opportunities are now available and 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 as partners. Partners reserve your space today!
WELCOME NEW BUSINESS PARTNERS
NAACOS ADVOCACY
ACO REACH NEWS FROM CMMI The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) recently hosted a call with current ACO REACH participants to share a high-level overview of upcoming model changes. CMS will address retrospective trend adjustments, repayment mechanisms, risk adjustment, health equity and defining high needs. While details of the changes are unknown, CMS anticipates that it will release more information in the coming weeks. Join the next NAACOS ACO REACH Learning Discussion on August 18, 12:00–1:00 pm ET to hear directly from CMMI staff on the new changes. Participation is limited to NAACOS members participating in ACO REACH, and advanced registration is required. If you have questions or additional topics you want discussed, please share them in advance at acoreach@naacos.com.
Other recent ACO REACH developments include:
Feedback on Health Equity Plans was recently provided to ACOs with answers due by August 16. The feedback on the plans can be vague (similar to feedback on preliminary plans). Please keep in mind that CMS is seeking good faith efforts to address the requirements and will not be overly stringent in its review. NAACOS shared feedback on the preliminary plans and asked that the CMMI gives REACH ACOs more time to submit responses.
Quarterly Results Summary was recently published, showing an 8.2 percent reduction in Medicare spending compared to ACO benchmarks in the first quarter of 2023. The model showed a reduction in unplanned admissions for patients with multiple chronic conditions in 2022 as well. The full report is available on CMMI’s website.
340B PROPOSED RULE AND ACO IMPLICATIONS NAACOS has been evaluating the impact of the change of 340B payment on ACOs. We are concerned that members with average sales price minus 22.5 percent in their benchmark years (i.e., 2018-2022) and average sales price plus 6 percent in performance year will be unfairly affected. Additional information is included in this NAACOS resource. While impact to ACOS is not addressed in the CMS 340B proposed rule, we encourage members commenting on the rule to include the suggested language included at the end of our resource. Comments are due September 5. Additionally, NAACOS has communicated directly with CMS on the issue.
REMINDER: SIGN UP TODAY FOR NAACOS HILL DAY Registration is now open for the upcoming NAACOS Hill Day on Wednesday, September 20 in conjunction with the NAACOS Fall Conference. Our Hill visits have been very effective. Last fall our board members met with lawmakers during the conference, which helped secure a one-year extension of the advanced alternative payment model (APM) incentives. Earlier this year, NAACOS leaders traveled to Washington for meetings that helped create more attention on reforming Medicare’s physician payment system. This resulted in a congressional sign-on letter and hearing. Help us keep this momentum by meeting with your lawmakers this fall!
HELP NAACOS ADVANCE ACO PATIENT ENGAGEMENT NAACOS is working to support ACOs in their patient engagement strategies and broader efforts to educate patients and the public about ACOs and value-based care. As part of this work, NAACOS is surveying ACOs about current patient engagement efforts, challenges and policy barriers, and best practices. You or someone from your organization should have received an email on Monday from “NAACOS Data (data@naacos.com)” with a unique link to respond to this brief survey. Only one individual from your organization needs to submit a response. A PDF of the questions is available to help your team collaborate on your organization’s response. If you have any questions about or issues with the survey, please email Alyssa Neumann.
CONGRESSIONAL UPDATES
LAWMAKERS INTRODUCE VALUE IN HEALTH CARE ACT Representatives Darin LaHood (R-Ill.), Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.), Brad Wenstrup, D.P.M. (R-Ohio), Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), Larry Bucshon, M.D. (R-Ind.), and Kim Schrier, M.D. (D-Wash.) reintroduced legislation to improve the Medicare Shared Savings Program, extend advanced APM incentives, and explore the potential of increasing parity between APMs and Medicare Advantage. A NAACOS press release is available. Help us build support for the bill by asking your representatives to cosponsor. Please contact Robert Daley for more information on how to engage with your lawmakers.
HOUSE MEMBERS SEEK MEDICARE PAYMENT REFORM A bipartisan group of House members sent a letter to Speaker McCarthy and Leader Jeffries emphasizing the urgent need to establish a stable Medicare payment system that appropriately pays for health outcomes and ensures that we keep our communities healthy. The House Energy and Commerce Committee also held an oversight hearing in June to discuss the status of the Medicard Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA). An overview of the hearing and NAACOS testimony is available.
ADMINISTRATION UPDATES
CMMI RELEASES DEMENTIA CARE MODEL CMMI’s latest model, the Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience (GUIDE) Model, is one that seeks to support dementia care and the caregivers of people living with dementia. The voluntary, eight-year model will offer two tracks, one for established programs and another for new programs, which can receive a one-time infrastructure payment. Participants will receive monthly, per-beneficiary payments to provide care management and coordination to beneficiaries and caregivers. Participants can also bill for respite services. Few details have been released, but CMS suggests in its FAQ document that overlap will be allowed with the extra payments counting as ACO expenditures. Applications will be released this fall, and letters of intent are due by September 15.
CMS RELEASES FINAL RULES
Hospital Inpatient. CMS finalized a 3.1 percent increase for hospitals under the inpatient prospective payment system, along with a 3.3 percent increase for long-term care hospitals. CMS will also allow COVID-19 add-on payments to expire at the end of FY 2023.
Inpatient Rehab and Psych. CMS finalized a 4 percent increase for inpatient rehabilitation facilities and a 2.3 percent increase for inpatient psychiatric facilities. CMS will also allow hospitals to open new inpatient rehabilitation or psychiatric facilities any time during a cost reporting period.
Hospice. CMS finalized a 3.1 percent increase for hospice providers, along with extending telehealth flexibility for hospice providers through the end of 2024. The agency is also codifying the Hospice Quality Reporting Program data submission threshold that was previously adopted by CMS in 2016.
Skilled Nursing. CMS finalized a 4 percent increase for skilled nursing facilities. CMS also finalized changes to the value-based purchasing program, including adopting a new nursing staff turnover measure
NOMINATIONS FOR QUALITY REVIEW COMMITTEES EXTENDED The Partnership for Quality Measurement (PQM) has replaced the National Quality Forum’s consensus-based endorsement and maintenance process for quality measures used in CMS programs. The new Pre-Rulemaking Measure Review (PRMR) process will be launched this fall. Battelle is now accepting nominations for participation in committees through August 14. Specifically, the Clinician Committee will be responsible for reviewing measures to be used in MSSP. Individuals can nominate themselves or others. More information regarding membership opportunities is available on the PQM website.
EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES
SAVE THE DATE: BOOT CAMPS ON FEBRUARY 8-9 NAACOS will hold two concurrent boot camps on February 8-9 at the Marriott Orlando Lakeside. One will focus on data and analytics, and the other will focus on best practices for clinical operations. Boot camps will be held at the same time, and participants must register for one boot camp and may attend only that one. Daily lunches and a reception will be held jointly so that attendees at both boot camps may benefit from increased networking opportunities. More information is coming soon!
NAACOS IN REVIEW: WEBINAR REGISTRATION
NAACOS frequently hosts webinars for members and partners; most are available free-of-charge. Participation in all NAACOS webinars requires advance registration.
To register for a webinar:
Go to the “Register for a Webinar” webpage. Access this page from the Events/Webinars tab on the NAACOS website OR with a link from a promotional email or newsletter article.
Click on the desired webinar and then on “Show/Hide Details.”
Fill out the requested information. Be sure to use the email address connected to your NAACOS account.
Once you’ve completed the contact information fields, leave payment fields blank, and click “purchase.”
If you have any issues while trying to register, contact support@naacos.com.
WHAT WE’RE WATCHING: NEWS ABOUT ACOS AND HEALTH CARE
This Health Affairs Forefront article from CMS leadership updates readers on the agency’s work to advance accountable care.
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) released the July 2023 Data Book, which provides information on national health care and Medicare spending. It also includes Medicare beneficiary demographics and information on APMs.
The latest NAACOS blog dives into the latest formal evaluation of the Vermont All-Payer Model and how the ACO has achieved success over the last four years.
