A new toolkit from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) aims to help hospitals and health systems develop proposals for alternative payment models (APMs).
In October, CMS finalized the the Quality Payment Program (QPP), a new approach to physician payment, required by the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015. Eligible clinicians will participate in one of two tracks: the default merit-based incentive payment system or advanced APMs.
The new CMS toolkit, from the agency’s Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation, outlines factors that stakeholders should focus on when designing APMs, including:
- the type of APM to propose, such as a next generation accountable care organization model;
- how the APM will improve clinical practice and how improvements will be measured;
- the rationale behind designing an APM;
- the scale of the APM;
- how the APM will align with payers and CMS programs; and
- how easily participants will be able to participate in the APM.
America’s Essential Hospitals has established a resource page for QPP, including information about APMs. Visit this page for new and updated information.
Contact Director of Policy Erin O’Malley at eomalley@essentialhospitals.org or 202.585.0127.
