AHA recommends changes to attract MSSP applicants

AHA today recommended specific changes to the Medicare Shared Savings Program to encourage accountable care organizations to invest in the infrastructure necessary to successfully take on risk. “While some of CMS’s proposed improvements are welcome and could make the program more attractive to new applicants and existing ACOs, we question whether other proposals go far enough to correct misguided design elements that emphasize penalties rather than rewards,” wrote AHA Executive Vice President Rick Pollack, commenting on a proposed MSSP rule published Dec. 8. “Providers have invested significant time, energy and resources to develop the clinical and operational infrastructures necessary to better manage patient care. Therefore, the AHA urges CMS to modify the shared savings determination so that more ACOs can share in more of the savings they generate. This will allow them to continue to invest in the program and give ACOs adequate tools to coordinate and manage care.”