- Ochsner, Walmart partner on ACO plan. Ochsner Health Network is collaborating with Walmart to offer a new insurance plan, called the Ochsner Accountable Care Plan, to about 6,600 Walmart and Sam's Club staff members in Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Under the plan, which will be available beginning January 1, 2019, eligible individuals will be able to access care via a network of 200 primary care providers in the Ochsner system. Participating individuals will also be able to access patient engagement specialists 24/7 through a call center.
- Providers are shifting to value-based payment models, according to a new report. About one-third of health care payments made last year were associated with value-based models, suggesting the health care industry is steadily moving away from the traditional fee-for-service model, according to a progress report by the Health Care Payment Learning and Action Network.
- Oregon updates value-based care initiative for Medicaid beneficiaries. The Oregon Health Policy Board last month approved new policies that aim to improve the state's coordinated care organizations (CCOs), a statewide accountable care model that coordinates physical, mental, and dental providers for beneficiaries of the state's Medicaid program. The changes, called "CCO 2.0," will be used for new CCO contracts beginning in 2020. The policies are focused on improving behavioral health delivery, boosting care value and pay-for-performance, zeroing in on social determinants of health, and ensuring sustainable cost growth. Under the new changes, CCOs must meet a value-based payment target each year, with an overarching goal of having 70% of provider payments made through value-based agreements by 2024.
From Advisory Board:
- State of the Union 2018: Strategy, Market Trends, and Health Policy 101. Join us on Thursday, November 8, at 1:00 p.m. ET to learn what the potential for outside disruption means for the industry, and how the current trend toward mega-mergers could impact providers.
- Medicare Hospital Outpatient Payment Update: Final Rule CY 2019. Join us on Thursday, November 15, at 3:00 p.m. ET to explore CMS's changes to hospital outpatient and ASC payment in CY 2019.
- The 2019 Imaging Market Outlook. Join us on Wednesday, December 5, at 3:00 p.m. ET to learn about the rising tide of cost control, payer steerage, regulatory changes, and patient consumerism affecting imaging providers in 2019 and beyond.