HHS creates forum related to payment models

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has formed the Health Care Payment Learning and Action Network to work with providers, states and state Medicaid programs, private payers, employers, consumer groups, individual consumers, and others to expand alternative payment models into their programs. The move follows HHS’ Jan. 26 establishment of a goal to tie 30 percent of fee-for-service Medicare payments to quality or value through alternative payment models such as accountable care organizations or bundled payment arrangements by the end of 2016, and to tie 50 percent of payments to these models by the end of 2018.

The group’s inaugural event will be March 25 and will be live-streamed. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has created a registration form for those interested in being part of the network. Participants will receive information about future events after they register.

According to the CMS, the network will:

• Facilitate joint implementation and expansion of new models of payment and care delivery;
• Identify areas of agreement about moving to alternative payment models, and define how best to report on these new payment models;
• Collaborate to generate evidence, share approaches and remove barriers;
• Develop common approaches to core issues such as beneficiary attribution, financial models, benchmarking, quality and performance measurement, risk adjustment and other topics raised for discussion; and
• Create implementation guides for providers, payers, purchasers and consumers.

Find additional information in the fact sheet posted by CMS.

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