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The Primary Care First Model Explained

The Primary Care First VBP Model Explained THE VBP Blog [12/17/20] The Primary Care First (PCF) model was established by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Innovation Center. It offers a regionally-based, multi-payer approach to primary delivery and payment. By design, PCF allows for increased flexibility and freedom for practitioners to be innovative in their approach to increase quality and reduce costs.  PCF will be offered in 26 regions in 2021, including many that were covered in our I/DD Managed Care Review blogs.  In those blogs, we covered the ten current programs being offered. Out of those ten, five (New York, Tennessee, Kansas, Arkansas, and Michigan) also have a PCF option.  This leaves us hopeful that PCF programs… Read More »The Primary Care First Model Explained

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CMS’ Overhaul Could Mean VBP is Working for Consumers

CMS’ Overhaul Could Mean VBP is Working for Consumers The Stark Law has been modernized: Here’s what you need to know THE VBP Blog [11/24/20] This week, CMS announced they were modernizing and updating the Physician Self-Referral Law (i.e. “Stark Law”) to steer it towards a value-based payment (VBP) structure. The core of the law, to protect patients from unnecessary, low quality, and expensive services, will stay in-tact. The new adjustments support the CMS “Patients over Paperwork” initiative of reducing unnecessary regulatory burdens on physicians. Photo by Tingey Injury Law Firm on Unsplash The Stark Law History In 1989, when healthcare was paid for primarily on a fee-for-service (FFS) structure, the Stark Law was put into place to protect patients… Read More »CMS’ Overhaul Could Mean VBP is Working for Consumers

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Pay-for-Performance – Developing and Expanding Opportunities

Pay-for-Performance Developing and Expanding Opportunities THE VBP Blog We are circling back to cover pay-for-performance, the second stop on the value-based payment continuum. The pay-for-performance (P4P) model gives providers bonuses for hitting quality and efficiency targets. As we continue to focus on whole-person care, the new normal of hybrid payments continues to shift.   According to Health Care Payment Learning & Action Network (LAN), in 2018, 25% of all fee-for-service payments had a link to quality or value, including pay-for-performance models. To understand more of the basics, you can check out our first blog covering P4P.  Pay-for-performance is a payment model that attaches financial incentives to provider performance. Incentives can range from small bonuses to large payments, depending on the… Read More »Pay-for-Performance – Developing and Expanding Opportunities

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Exploring Bundled Payments

Exploring Bundled Payments THE VBP Blog When we started the VBP Blog back in 2018, we broke down the building blocks in the continuum for Value-Based Payments. In the last blog, we revisited Alternative Payments and what had changed since our original analysis. In this one, we will be covering Bundled Payments and what they mean to Value-Based Payments. Bundled Payments Refresher As a refresher, bundled payments – also known as episode-based payments (EPMs) – are an alternative payment method (APM) in which services are grouped together and a target price is calculated. This target price is the total allowable expenditure throughout an entire episode of care. A bundled price can be set and adjusted based on risk factors, age,… Read More »Exploring Bundled Payments

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Alternative Payments Making a Splash

Alternative Payments Making a Splash​ Examining the ever-changing Value-Based Payments landscape​ THE VBP Blog Value-Based Payments are a complex topic that is evolving very quickly. Back when we first started this blog in 2018, we began at the very beginning. We feel it’s important to double back on those foundational pieces of VBP as it continues to change. With that in mind, we are starting with Alternative Payment Models. This will be a two-part blog, starting with the national pieces and then working to a regional level. Fee-For-Service Models Traditionally, payment for health services has run on a model called fee-for service (FFS). This simple model means that physicians and healthcare providers delivered in units. This has little to do… Read More »Alternative Payments Making a Splash

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Full State Managed Care Review: All 10 Current Programs 2020

Full State Managed Care Review: All 10 Current Programs Is Provider-Led Care the Future of Managed Care Programs? THE VBP Blog [July 30, 2020] Across several months and multiple blogs, we have covered all ten states that feature managed care programs for the Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities population. We saw a wide range of successes, types of programs, and different phases of rollout. With each, we broke down the state’s managing entity, how many consumers were affected, the role of case management, the rollout approach, and more. To make things a bit easier to compare, we also compiled a chart and a presentation [Full State Review Managed Care IDD ] for you to reference. Iowa & Tennessee Kansas & Texas… Read More »Full State Managed Care Review: All 10 Current Programs 2020

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A Fresh Approach to Managed Care in NC and NY

Fresh Approach to Managed Care in NY and NC THE VBP Blog We’ve navigated you through 8 of the ten states with a managed care I/DD program and in this blog, we will cover the final two. We have learned a lot about the different approaches, the successful and not as successful programs, and the work that is still left to do. In our next blog, we will recap everything we have learned and what it means moving forward. North Carolina has been working with a form of managed care since 2005, but in 2015 committed to move towards a whole-person managed care approach. Their shift towards a new program has been halted due to legislation struggles and COVID-19, but… Read More »A Fresh Approach to Managed Care in NC and NY

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Local Engagement in IDD Managed Care with AZ and MI

Local Engagement in IDD Managed Care in Arizona and Michigan THE VBP Blog [5/26/2020] – As promised, this blog will examine the last 4 states that offer I/DD managed care programs to their consumers. This week, we take a look at Arizona and Michigan. Arizona built a completely different structure than we have seen before with a state-run Division of Developmental Disabilities as the managing entity. Michigan’s managed care program is similar to that of North Carolina, focusing on county-based programs. These two contrasting styles have both found success and both have created unique solutions to manage the I/DD and MLTSS population. Arizona’s Managed Care Program Arizona’s Long-Term Care System (ALTCS) was established in 1998 for the management of Long-Term… Read More »Local Engagement in IDD Managed Care with AZ and MI

Let’s Jump Back in to Managed Care in I/DD

Let’s Jump Back in to Managed Care in I/DD THE VBP Blog [5/14/2020] – For the past 8 months, we have touched on managed care in the individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) population. While the world has been coping with COVID-19, this expansion of managed care has not slowed down. With the estimated 1.5 million Medicaid consumers with an I/DD, over 358,500 consumers with I/DD were enrolled in a managed long-term services and supports (MLTSS) program over 10 states as of May of 2020. This means approximately 2.1% of the total Medicaid population and 25.4% of I/DD consumers enrolled in a Medicaid program. This population has 45% with three or more chronic conditions and 35% always have a… Read More »Let’s Jump Back in to Managed Care in I/DD

Is Telehealth the TSA of COVID-19?

Break Through Value-Based Payments Is Telehealth the TSA of COVID-19? THE VBP Blog For those of you who know me personally, you know that being an optimist is my downfall. In times of crisis, the ability to look forward to the forthcoming changes can be challenging.  Mandy, my co-author brings her creativity and technology-savvy perspective to our discussions. Together, we look ahead to the elements we want learn from.  Our starting point for this blog was the major change that came out of 9/11.  We jointly concluded that technology changed significantly because of that crisis. We also saw the TSA in our airports as one of the manifestations of the change.  So, could telehealth be the TSA of the COVID-19… Read More »Is Telehealth the TSA of COVID-19?