Iowa’s IA Health Link launch left both providers and consumers frustrated by putting their budget before the quality of care. We analyze the missteps they took after setting unrealistic timelines for the work that needed to be done. Their MLTSS program continues to serve as a learning tool for other state’s roll outs.
First up in our review of value-based purchasing in managed care MLTSS programs is Arizona. The program has gone through a variety of upgrades and changes.
New Blog Series Launch: Looking at 25 states’ MLTSS managed care programs from an advocate-centered point of view
Value-Based Payments Growth Trends…Are You Ready? THE VBP Blog We are exploring value-based growth trends this week. Current data shows Medicaid managed care programs using value-based payments programs have experienced steady growth over the past few years, 67% of Medicaid’s 74 million consumers are enrolled in some type of health plan and 55% of Medicaid budgets are going to health plan payments. Of all Medicaid MCO respondents, 93% utilized a value-based purchasing (VBP) or alternative payment model (APM), according to a survey done in 2020 by Medicaid Innovation. That is an increase of 14% since 2017. The survey covered 2019 data taken from Medicaid managed care organizations (MCOs), and the trend continues Enrollment Growth Trends Enrollment also continues to climb,… Read More »Value-Based Payments Growth Trends…. Are You Ready?
Four Pillars to Build On in a VBP Environment THE VBP Blog [1/14/2021] In 2020, we took on the monumental task of evaluating all ten states that offered managed care programs for the Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (I/DD) population. In our final blog of that series, we broke down our findings into four main pillars. These frameworks provided structure across the many different approaches over the ten states. At the end of 2020, we offered our commitments as a company and in this blog we take a look at how those cross over. 4 Pillars of Reviewing Value-Based Care in I/DD Managed Care Time Matters: more than almost any other factor, the states that gave themselves time for a methodical… Read More »The Four Pillars to Build On in a VBP Environment
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
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
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
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
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