- New coalition aims to support next generation ACO program. A group of 29 accountable care organizations (ACOs) that participate in Medicare's Next Generation ACO program have launched a new coalition, called the Next Gen ACO Coalition, aimed at encouraging CMS to continue the program. Emily Brower of Trinity Health, one of the coalition's participants, said of the program, "Next Gen ACOs all over the country have advanced care coordination and care quality, improved patient outcomes, and saved a lot of money of Medicare. … Strengthening and sustaining the program would bring only more significant benefits."
- Mayo Clinic's latest bet: Teaming up with Medica on new insurance offerings. Mayo Clinic and health insurer Medica, both based in Minnesota, on Thursday announced they will team up to develop insurance policies that will allow members throughout the country to seek treatment for rare or complex health problems at Mayo. Members will maintain in-network access to local providers. Medica will administer the health plans and facilitate customer service and engagement for the products.
- CMS announces 6 Medicaid APMs. CMS recently announced that six Medicaid reimbursement agreements will qualify as Advanced Alternative Payment Models in the 2019 performance year under the Quality Payment Program's all-payer contribution track. The qualifying APMs include Massachusetts' accountable care partnership plan, Ohio's payment model based on episodes of care, Tennessee's care model based on retrospective care episodes, and three managed care plans in Washington state.
From Advisory Board:
- Understand Medicaid managed care. Join us for the last installment of our four-part 30-minute webconference series on Tuesday, September 25, at 3:00 p.m. ET where we'll provide an overview of the structure of Medicaid and also highlight the challenges facing plans operating Medicaid managed care.
- Learn what the midterm elections do (and don't) mean for health care. Join us on Thursday, September 27, at 1:00 p.m. ET to get our take on how the elections will--and won't--impact the outlook for health policy in 2019 and beyond.
- What's new in chronic disease management? Join us on Thursday, September 27, at 3:00 p.m. ET to learn how provider organizations are scaling legacy approaches to chronic disease management for multi-morbid patients, while improving health outcomes and reducing utilization.