|
CALL FOR COMMITTEE NOMINATIONS OPEN TO ACO MEMBERS
NAACOS is seeking self-nominees for the Call for Committee Nominations for the Policy, Clinical Quality, and Education Committees through Monday, December 2. All three committees need individuals with expertise in all subject areas, MSSP Tracks, and REACH. Only NAACOS ACO members are allowed to participate on committees. Committee members are chosen by the chair of the committee and then approved by the board chair. Those chosen are asked to serve for a term of two years with the opportunity to add on additional terms. All nominees will be sent notifications in mid- to late-December. The nomination form includes contact information, a short paragraph of no more than 500 characters describing your interests and specific area of expertise as they relate to the committee you wish to serve on and a narrative bio (not a CV). Nominations do not require letters of recommendation. Individuals can only select one committee to be nominated for. If you have any questions about the nomination process, please contact Anna LaFayette. If you have questions about the committees, please email [email protected], and your email will be sent to the appropriate committee leader.
NAACOS CALLS ON LAWMAKERS TO SUPPORT APMS
With the election complete, all eyes in Washington are now turning to Congress as lawmakers begin the lame duck session. Lawmakers have until December 20 to extend government funding and address a long list of health care priorities. This includes telehealth, hospital at home, physician payment cuts, alternative payment model (APM) incentives, hospital disproportionate share hospital (DSH) payments, funding for community health centers, pharmacy benefits management (PBM) reform, and Medicare Advantage prior authorization reform.
NAACOS is encouraging Congress to support an end-of-year health care legislative package that includes an extension of APM incentives, stops physician payment cuts, and reduces regulatory burdens associated with the transition to digital quality reporting. Contact Robert Daley if you need help contacting your Members of Congress.
ACO REACH GENERATED $1.2 BILLION IN GROSS SAVINGS LAST YEAR
New data from 2023 showed the ACO REACH Model generated $1.6 billion in gross savings and $695 million in net savings after accounting for savings and losses. The 2.6 percent net savings rate is in line with other Medicare ACO models. On average, REACH ACOs each generated nearly $7.5 million in net savings to Medicare. Importantly, 98 percent of the savings were driven by the model’s 3 percent discount.
NAACOS congratulates ACOs for their success and is using the savings as a change to advocate for an extension of the model, which is scheduled to sunset at the end of 2026.
NAACOS OUTLINES WAYS TO INCREASE ACO PARTICIPATION IN PTAC LETTER
In a letter to the Physician-Focused Payment Model Technical Advisory Committee (PTAC), NAACOS recommends several ways to expand the reach of ACO models. NAACOS offered high-level comments on ways to better include specialists, rural providers, and complex beneficiaries. Improvements to financial benchmarks, multi-payer alignment, data transparency and beneficiary engagement can all help. The full letter is available online.
ACO EXPERIENCE PROJECT FINDINGS AVAILABLE
The American Heart Association recently published findings from a research project exploring the experiences and perspectives of medically complex patients, their family caregivers, and members of the health care team who receive or provide care through an ACO model. NAACOS was pleased to serve on the expert panel for the project. After conducting in-depth interviews with 27 participants, a clear theme emerged that ACOs provide better care and outcomes for patients and a better practice experience for members of the health care team than a traditional fee-for-service delivery model. The deliverables from this project will help support advocacy for key value-based care policies. You can access the executive summary and issue briefs here.
POST ELECTION LANDSCAPE
Washington has been busy this week as the post-election landscape rapidly takes shape. For more information on the election and road ahead, the NAACOS Advocacy team’s on-demand webinar offers an in-depth analysis of election outcomes and the implications for health care.
CMS ANNOUNCES NEW ELECTRONIC PROCESS FOR PARTIAL QPS
Historically, the election for Partial qualified APM participant (QP) clinicians to participate in the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) has been done by completing the Partial QP election form and emailing it to the Quality Payment Program (QPP) Help Desk. This process will no longer exist starting in Calendar Year (CY) 2025 and will be replaced by a new, direct process through the QPP online application. CMS will now be incorporating the Partial QP election process into the online QPP application. The new process will be available to users when submissions open on January 2, 2025. The submission window closes on March 31, 2025.
LIMITS PLACED ON SKIN SUBSTITUTES FOR DIABETIC FOOT ULCERS
A Medicare local coverage determination (LCD) was finalized earlier this month that develops more reasonable and necessary requirements for skin substitutes for diabetic foot ulcers and venous leg ulcers. It also aligns existing LCDs across various Medicare Administrative Contractors. NAACOS filed comments this June in support of the LCD. While this doesn’t cover a great many of the uses of skin substitutes, it does provide some assurance for the products that have been overused. NAACOS is continuing to monitor this issue and explore pathways for ensuring that ACOs are held harmless for improper payments for skin substitutes.
BOOT CAMP 201 REGISTRATION OPENS
Registration is now open for Boot Camp 201— in-person events for experienced ACO employees and/or those who have completed Boot Camp 101. Two Boot Camp 201s will be held concurrently February 6–7 in Orlando on Clinical Operations and Data and Analytics. Register today!
Recordings of our two Boot Camp 101 will soon be available for purchase. These 8-hour sessions provide an excellent opportunity to prepare for Boot Camp 201 on both Clinical Operations and Data and Analytics.
Need a quick review or understanding of ACO basics? NAACOS is currently building a curriculum of Fundamentals, which are on-demand videos covering ACO essentials like compliance, basic data and analytics, and quality reporting for both MSSP and REACH. Compliance fundamentals are posted, and new topics will be added frequently. These videos are free to both members and non-members.
REGISTRATION OPENS FOR SPRING 2025 CONFERENCE
Meet us at the Baltimore Hilton Inner Harbor April 22-24 for the Spring 2025 Conference! The agenda will feature leading health care experts and CMS officials sharing timely and essential information for ACOs. Registration is now open for both in-person and virtual participation. Register early and save! **Please note the dates of the Spring 2025 Conference are Tuesday-Thursday.
Sponsorships and exhibit space is now available to reserve for the Spring 2025 Conference. Reserve your spot early!
AFFINITY GROUPS RESUME AFTER THANKSGIVING
The year is winding down and so are the NAACOS 2024 Affinity Groups. There will be no Affinity Group meeting next week due to the Thanksgiving Holiday. They will resume on Tuesday, December 3 at 3:00 pm ET. Join these peer-to-peer sessions based on ACO roles/work areas to discuss topics currently affecting your ACOs and provider groups in the advancement of value-based care. The Affinity Group series will end this year with the CMO and Clinical Affinity Group on December 3 from 3:00–4:00 pm ET and the Compliance and Legal Affinity Group on December 10 from 3:00–4:00 pm ET. If you have previously registered, the same meeting links can be used for the upcoming sessions. If you have not registered but would like to join either of these meetings, use the links provided in this article to register and add the Zoom link to your calendar.
NEW! NAACOS REGIONAL MEETINGS TO BE HELD IN 2025
In response to our member feedback and requests, NAACOS is piloting two meetings to better support ACOs and value-based care providers at the regional level! Agendas will include topics like contracting across payers, managing high-needs populations, aligning report requirements and measures, and clinical best practices, all targeted to your geographic area. The first is the Greater Philadelphia meeting, taking place at the Museum of the American Revolution on January 24. A Florida meeting will be held in conjunction with Boot Camp 201 in Orlando on February 5 at the Marriott Orlando Airport Lakeside. These one-day forums will be in person events open to ACO members and non-members and value-based care providers only. Registration will include lunch and a reception and will be opening soon. Find out more!
REGISTER FOR FOURTH QUARTER PARTNER CALL
NAACOS Partners! Join us for an engaging call exclusively for Partner Circle, Business Partners, and Alliance Partners on Thursday, December 12 from 1:00 – 2:00 pm ET. Don't miss this chance to interact with NAACOS and to fully utilize the benefits of your partnership. We will cover ways to engage with NAACOS and our ACO members in 2025, including an update on spring conference, sponsorship opportunities and more. This meeting is open to Partners only.
|
WHAT WE'RE WATCHING: NEWS ABOUT ACOS AND HEALTH CARE |
|
|
|
