At one level you have perhaps the most risk savvy and successful operators in the Medicare Advantage space aka ‘CAPG‘ (the California Association of Physician Groups) closely tethered to it’s less geographically constrained though California domiciled partner IHA as in ‘Integrated Healthcare Association’ explicitly advocating for the preservation of the Medicare Advantage program (MA) aka ‘Part C‘ even though the pre-ACA historical cost to the Medicare Trust fund ‘overfunded’ the program by 114% (estimated in 2014 at 106%) vs. historical FFS program payouts. CAPG’s value prop statement is in part reflected below:
Medicare Advantage is a critical element in the nation’s movement from volume to value in healthcare. With its emphasis on risk-based contracting and clinically integrated care, Medicare Advantage is paving the way for the advancement of coordinated care in every other healthcare program. Medicare Advantage has motivated the deployment of electronic medical records, the expansion of robust quality measurement and reporting, and the movement to team based care, all of which have resulted in better care for seniors. In addition to improving care and quality of life for seniors, this risk-based coordinated care model has the ability to rein in Medicare spending, unlike fee-for-service and its volume-driven incentives.
Whereas, under the new if not ‘Deputy’ leadership since the departure of Marilyn Tavenner, former CMS Administrator, Patrick Conway, MD, recently announced the launch of a ‘new and improved’ ACO tagged the next generation ACO – which at some level may be virtually indistinguishable from it’s more mature MA program.
So the question remains, where is this program going and what if any difference will there be between Medicare Advantage and ‘Next Generation of ACOs?’
Quoting from CMS, the initiative details are:
The Next Generation ACO Model is an initiative for ACOs that are experienced in coordinating care for populations of patients. It will allow these provider groups to assume higher levels of financial risk and reward than are available under the current Pioneer Model and Shared Savings Program (MSSP). The goal of the Model is to test whether strong financial incentives for ACOs, coupled with tools to support better patient engagement and care management, can improve health outcomes and lower expenditures for Original Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) beneficiaries.
Included in the Next Generation ACO Model are strong patient protections to ensure that patients have access to and receive high-quality care. Like other Medicare ACO initiatives, this Model will be evaluated on its ability to deliver better care for individuals, better health for populations, and lower growth in expenditures. This is in accordance with the Department of Health and Human Services’ “Better, Smarter, Healthier” approach to improving our nation’s health care and setting clear, measurable goals and a timeline to move the Medicare program — and the health care system at large — toward paying providers based on the quality rather than the quantity of care they provide to patients. In addition, CMS will publicly report the performance of the Next Generation Pioneer ACOs on quality metrics, including patient experience ratings, on its website.
CMS expects approximately 15 to 20 ACOs to participate in the Next Generation ACO Model with representation from a variety of provider organization types and geographic regions. The Model will consist of three initial performance years and two optional one-year extensions. Specific eligibility criteria are outlined in the Request for Applications (PDF).
Clearly this may be an inflection point, or more aptly stated, a convergence of what has been a parallel track (excluding the Pioneer ACO program) between ACOs in the Medicare Shared Savings Program (aka ‘HMO-lite’) and their more risk savvy competitors in the MA space.
For a 2014 analysis of the costs of the Medicare Advantage vs. traditional Medicare program see: ‘Medicare Advantage Program in 2014‘.
As tweeted to me earlier this week by James Hansen, VP of the ACO and MA operator company Lumeris:
‘Next generation ACO, finally a starter or more kissing your cousin?’
No doubt CMS is being responsive to provider (contractor) market input from both the Pioneer program exits as well as the overwhelming election by ACOs to NOT assume downside risk under the current terms of the MSSP.
Like it or not, [ACO/HMO] convergence is coming. Clinical and financial integration including partial or full risk assumption are the business models that will succeed in the pursuit of sustainable healthcare financing and delivery business models. I view this latest CMS announcement as confirmation of this macro directional trend.
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