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Understanding Drivers of Performance: Engaging providers at a higher rate and with the right data and insights early on leads to improved clinical, quality and financial outcomes, improved provider and health plan performance, provider and member retention, and overall efficiency.  Nationally, health plans and their contracted provider networks are actively working to improve performance […]

On March 31st U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), released the Calendar Year (CY) 2024 Medicare Advantage (MA) and Part D Rate Announcement that finalized payment policies for these programs. CMS will phase-in certain updates, and on average, CMS anticipates a payment increase for […]

Incident-to billing is a billing practice in which a non-physician health care provider, such as a nurse practitioner, physician assistant, or clinical nurse specialist, can bill for services provided at the full rate of the supervising physician. In this billing practice, the physician supervises the non-physician provider’s services and is responsible for initiating and managing […]

Background: The Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment (DSRIP) program, part of the State of New York Medicaid 1115 Waiver, ended in March of 2020 and Care Compass Network (CCN), one of 25 Performing Provider Systems (PPS) in New York, needed to develop a sustainable business model leveraging infrastructure developed with DSRIP dollars. CCN saw […]

On February 1st, CMS released the 2024 Medicare Advantage and Part D Advance Notice to inform Medicare Advantage organizations of proposed changes to the program. The changes that were proposed in that notice stretch far beyond just Medicare Advantage organizations (MAOs). Providers serving Medicare Advantage members in value-based arrangements will also be impacted and in […]

In late December 2022, CMS published the ACO REACH Health Equity Plan Templates, Guide and FAQ, outlining the standards and requirements REACH ACOs must meet in their efforts to address targeted health disparities in underserved communities in their service area. Health Equity is a hallmark ACO REACH initiative and a significant differentiator between the program […]

1. Continued transition to more value-based payment and risk for all lines of business: Payers partnering to create more collaborative platforms and relationships with providers Focus on improving outcomes and support strategies to mutually gain market share while leveraging value-based payment arrangements Providers realizing the need to develop a clear strategy and goals for […]

CMS has released the final ACO REACH Model Performance Period Participation Agreement (MPP PA) for PY2023 starters as well as a redlined version of the MPP PA compared to the GPDC Model Performance Period PA for PY2022 starters that highlights the updates made to the PA. Here are the key five considerations every ACO entity […]

Background: Our client is a large Academic Medical Center located in the Northeast with a direct-to-employer contract managing a commercial employee population. The health system uses Analytics for Risk Contracting (ARC) and the COPE Health Solutions (CHS) Data Analytics as a Service (DaaS) solution to identify specific opportunities and track performance in specific aspects […]

Background: Hawaii Health Network (HHN), based in O’ahu, HI, is a recently formed Clinically Integrated Network (CIN) composed of four partner medical groups/IPAs and is the state’s largest post-acute care provider. HHN’s mission is to be a clinically integrated network that systematically supports independent physicians and provides others in the transition from volume to […]