After 6 or so months of waiting for guidance on the implementation of Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services finally released the first round of the ‘notice of proposed rule making’ via:
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services | 42 CFR Part 425 [CMS-1345-P] RIN 0938-AQ22 | Medicare Program; Medicare Shared Savings Program: Accountable Care Organizations
To view the entire document, click here.
Their release was followed by a conference call wherein Don Berwick, MD, the ‘lame duck’ (I hope not), Administrator of CMS took some ‘questions’. First up was a confrontation from a neurosurgeon, who must be a very fast speed reader, who asserted the program was about rationing and denying care, and challenged the package as ‘immoral’. The rest of the calls where more of the more civil and Q&A variety. For an excellent ‘background and context’ piece listen to a replay of the pre-conference call via: (866) 517-3730. You may also listen to replay here.
We are planning a preliminary ‘deep dive’ roundtable of the regs on ACO Watch: A Mid Week Review Friday, April 1st, 2011 at 4PM Eastern and 1PM Pacific.
Since this is very fresh, I have not yet confirmed my guests, though I am offering participation to several physicians in thought leadership, health care attorneys, and health information technology consultants as well.
Please consider joining us!
acowatch.me 