Tag Archives: alternative payment models

CMS Finalizes Mandatory Cardiac and Joint Bundles … But Their Future is Uncertain

By Kristen McDermott Woodrum and Katy Appleby on January 17, 2017 Posted in Uncategorized

When Tom Price assumes the top post at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) later this month (subject to Senate confirmation), the ink will barely be dry on a final rule issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) mandating hospital participation in two new cardiac episode-based payment models (EPMs) and an … Continue Reading

Making Sense of MACRA

By Kristen McDermott Woodrum and Katy Appleby on November 9, 2016 Posted in Uncategorized

Bracing for the Medicare Part B Overhaul: Pick a Path, Pick a Pace The countdown has begun for the momentous Part B payment reforms created by the Medicare Access and Chip Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA). On October 14, 2016, CMS released a final rule explaining, in nearly 2,400 pages, how its new Quality Payment Program, established under MACRA, … Continue Reading

Year of the Bundle: CMS Proposes New Mandatory Cardiac Bundles and Expansion of CCJR

By Kristen McDermott Woodrum and Greg Fosheim on August 16, 2016 Posted in Uncategorized

CMS is building momentum with its bundled payment programs and upping the stakes for hospitals. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently published a proposed rule that furthers the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ goal to promote cooperative, value-based care and tie at least 50 percent of Medicare payments to quality … Continue Reading

The Deeper Dive: Medicare’s Fundamental Shift Toward P4P

By Kristen McDermott Woodrum and Laurice Rutledge Lambert on October 30, 2015 Posted in Uncategorized

What priorities should providers focus on in navigating the changing payment environment? While Medicare’s path toward pay for performance (P4P) has evolved over time, 2015 is proving to be a landmark year. July marked the 50th anniversary of the Medicare program. And in self-described “historic announcements” earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Health and … Continue Reading