PODCAST: Dr. Rita Numerof on CMS’ New ACO Proposals: “It’s Been a Long Time Coming”
Earlier this month, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed a rule that included major changes to the existing MSSP ACO (accountable care organization) program. As Healthcare Informatics reported, referred to as “Pathways to Success,” CMS’ proposal, which has been expected for a few months, looks to redesign the program’s participation options by removing the traditional three tracks in the MSSP model and replacing them with two tracks that eligible ACOs would enter into for an agreement period of no less than five years: the BASIC track and the ENHANCED track.
The broad takeaway from the proposal is that CMS has a clear goal to move ACOs more quickly into two-sided-risk models as the agency has noted that upside-only ACOs are not reducing costs and are costing Medicare money. “We project these changes will result in $2.24 billion in savings to Medicare program over next 10 years,” CMS Administrator Seema Verma stated at the time of the proposal.
Rita Numerof, Ph.D., co-founder and president of St. Louis-based consulting firm Numerof & Associates—and a recurring guest on the Healthcare Informatics podcast, notes that CMS has been trying to bend the cost curve for years. “They have been experimenting with different ways to ‘encourage’ providers to move in a direction to take on more risk. So I applaud CMS’ move to require ACOs to take on more risk, both upside and downside,” says Numerof on our latest podcast episode.On the podcast, Numerof ponders, “Have ACOs been a good investment of taxpayer dollars? We are all paying for this. I would argue that they have been an expensive experiment. The intent was laudable…But the business model is fundamentally broken, and the underpinnings need to be changed.”
The podcast with Numerof runs about 20 minutes in length and keep in mind, you can listen to all Healthcare Informatics podcasts right here.
