on June 27, 2011 |
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Topics: Clinical Integration, Hospital-Physician Alignment, Physician Issues, Medicare, Reimbursement, Finance, Strategy
Sarah O'Hara, Health Care Advisory Board
A few weeks ago in this space, we discussed how potential program costs can influence an organization's decision to pursue a Clinical Integration (CI) strategy. But several other key challenges must also be considered as an organization plans for CI. Well-prepared organizations should feel confident that leadership and physicians are all aware of the business case for CI, aligned behind the effort, and able to participate fully in performance improvement. In this post--the second in our series on CI launch planning--we will discuss key internal and external strategic factors to consider while still in the CI planning phase. We are also seeking beta testers for our Clinical Integration Assessment Tool (set to go live in the next few weeks), which will help organizations determine their own level of CI readiness.
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Beyond the dollars: Assessing stakeholder readiness for CI
on June 17, 2011 |
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Topics: Clinical Integration, Hospital-Physician Alignment, Physician Issues, Medicare, Reimbursement, Finance, Payer and Regulatory Policy, Market Trends, Strategy
Sarah O'Hara, Health Care Advisory Board
Would advance payment from CMS encourage more organizations to participate in the Medicare Shared-Savings Program? Testing the waters with this idea, CMS has asked for comments on a proposed Advance Payment Initiative, in which organizations interested in forming an ACO, but lacking the capital to do so, could be fronted a portion of their future shared savings to support infrastructure investment costs. In a CMS-sponsored conference call earlier this week, several organizations weighed in, largely arguing that the effectiveness of advance payment will depend on how much money's made available when--and how much has to be paid back. Read on for more.
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Showing you the money, up front: CMS weighs advance ACO payment
on April 28, 2011 |
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Topics: Clinical Integration, Hospital-Physician Alignment, Physician Issues, Payer and Regulatory Policy, Revenue Cycle, Finance
Sarah O'Hara, Health Care Advisory Board
It's been nearly a month since CMS released its draft rule for the Medicare Shared Savings Program (SSP), and as the initial reporting frenzy dies down, this seemed like a good time to share some thoughts on what the regulations could mean for Clinical Integration (CI) programs. The rule provides an important roadmap for clinically integrated physician networks looking to transition toward accountable care organizations (ACOs) and highlights areas where even well-established CI networks may need to add capabilities in order to qualify. This post discusses six key takeaways for CI programs hoping to participate in the SSP.
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The shared savings rule: Six lessons for CI programs
