AHA recommends changes to attract MSSP applicants

Feb 05, 2015 - 03:49 PM

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.” 

Related News Articles

Headline
CMS issues final rule on CY 2026 policy and technical changes to Medicare programs 
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Sept. 18 released a final rule on policy and technical changes to Medicare Advantage, the Medicare…
Headline
Hospital-at-home bill considered during House Ways and Means Committee markup
The AHA submitted a statement Sept. 17 for a House Ways and Means Committee markup session on a series of health care and other bills. Specifically, the AHA…
Headline
AHA supports bill expanding in-network providers within MA plans 
The AHA Sept. 15 expressed support for the Ensuring Access to Essential Providers Act, legislation that would require Medicare Advantage plans to cover…
Headline
AHA urges Aetna to rescind ‘level of severity inpatient payment’ policy
The AHA Sept. 15 urged Aetna to rescind its recently announced “level of severity inpatient payment” policy, saying that it “could erode the transparency…
Perspective
Hospital Outpatient Departments Are Different from Independent Physician Offices
Public
Every health care provider strives to deliver their patients the best possible care, but not all providers offer the same level or complexity of care. Current…
Headline
Study: MA beneficiaries’ hospital stays longer than those under Traditional Medicare
A JAMA internal medicine study published Sept. 8 found that since the COVID-19 pandemic, Medicare Advantage beneficiaries have been experiencing longer…