Blog
Four Key Considerations For Recent FQHC New Access Point Applicants
March 17, 2025In summer 2024, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) released a long awaited Notice of Funding Opportunity for Health Center Program New Access Point (NAP) applications allowing qualified entities to apply for Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) designation. It is anticipated that HRSA will award 77 grants, of up to $650,000 each, with the […]
Creating Successful Partnerships Between Health Systems and FQHCs
March 17, 2025In a healthcare environment that is increasingly recognizing the importance of a value-based approach to healthcare delivery, partnerships between health systems and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) provide a tremendous opportunity for both entities to invest resources thoughtfully, efficiently, and strategically to address community health needs. For health systems that own or are participants in […]
CVS’ Exit from Medicare ACOs: A Reminder of the Risks of Aggregator Dependence
March 17, 2025The recent news that CVS Health is exiting the Medicare ACO space, fully withdrawing from ACO REACH and selling its MSSP business to Wellvana: , highlights the ongoing challenges faced by ACO aggregators. While these organizations often position themselves as enablers of value-based care (VBC), their long-term sustainability remains uncertain, creating potential risks for providers […]
California D-SNP Market Entrance: 5 Key Success Factors for Risk Adjustment
March 17, 2025As part of the California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM) initiative, a transformative effort to coordinate and expand health services for the most vulnerable populations in California, the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) is directing Medi-Cal managed care plans to establish D-SNPs by 2026. Medi-Cal programs entering the Medicare Advantage market for the first […]
Key Questions and Strategic Considerations for MCP Practices Over MCP End in December 2025
March 17, 2025MCP practices should consider and begin to plan for a transition to enter the MSSP ACO program for 2026 and choose stable, long-term partners to take control over your VBP future. There are two primary ways to enter the MSSP ACO program for 2026 If you separated from an MSSP ACO in 2024, you could […]
A Word About Prior Authorization
February 12, 2025Since the senseless murder of the UnitedHealthcare CEO, Brian Thompson, there has been a lot of discussion regarding managed care and the companies that administer services on behalf of government and private payers. The use of the inscription on the bullet casings fired from the gun that killed Mr. Thompson, “Delay, Deny, Defend” have been […]
Understanding Total Cost of Care
February 12, 2025Introduction: Medical practices are now receiving copious amounts of data that were unheard of only a few years ago. The information includes not only the results of labs and other diagnostic studies or specialist visits, but information on both cost and quality, as reflected in gaps in care as well as patient satisfaction with […]
5 Things to Know From CMS Announcement on Innovation in Behavioral Health Model Awards
January 14, 2025On December 18, 2024, CMS announced that Oklahoma (statewide) and Michigan, New York, and South Carolina (sub-state regions) were accepted to participate in the Innovation in Behavioral Health (IBH) model. IBH is a new state-based model in which states are awarded $7.5 million to invest in specialty behavioral practices that serve the Medicaid and Medicare […]
Understanding Quality: Where We Were, Where We Are and Where We Need To Be
December 12, 2024Many of us have sat and wondered, if one could define something as high quality, what would that sound or look like? Many times, we would come up with multiple meanings and visions, depending on the circumstances we were involved in, or what we were looking for at a given moment. While many physician practices […]
Improving Patient Satisfaction With In-Office Care
December 12, 2024Introduction: It is well noted that primary care and medical subspecialists who are not interventionalists, spend a great deal of their time caring for patients in the office. Over recent years, with the focus shifting to value based care, the primary role of the office visit has been to capture data for the EMR […]