ACOs Fudging the Numbers?

by Gregg A. Masters, MPH I came across this piece on the Healthcare Blog penned by Kip Sullivan, Esq, critiquing this article posted in Health Affairs last May ‘Bending The Spending Curve By Altering Care Delivery Patterns: The Role Of Care Management Within A Pioneer ACO‘. Sullivan raises valid points as the the legitimacy of …

CBO Weighs in on Trumpcare 3.0

by Gregg A. Masters, MPH The non-partisan Congressional Office weighed in today on the impact of the Better Care Reconciliation of of 2017 as amended and rebranded as the ‘Obamacare Repeal Reconciliation Act’. Their summary notes the coverage impact as follows: The number of people who are uninsured would increase by 17 million in 2018, …

Senate GOP Health Reform Fail: Many Knew This Day Was Coming

by Gregg A. Masters, MPH Unlike many in the conversation on social media including the likes of Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and blogs such as ACO Watch, I have been active in the health reform exchange of ideas since registering my twitter handle @2healthguru in August of 2008. My participation has been of the ‘sweat equity’ …

What, What? ACOs Not ‘DOA’?

by Gregg A. Masters, MPH When the Affordable Care Act passed in March of 2010 and the law’s many moving parts analyzed by the ecosystem stakeholders including operators, health wonks and patient advocates many weighed in that ACOs were doomed to fail. They were just too ‘tepid’ to make a material contribution to the volume …

Webinar: Next Generation ACO Model – Overview and LOI Information

By Gregg A. Masters, MPH Today marks the end to the eight year reign of President Barack Obama and the birth of the Trump Administration tenure.  Yet, so much in the health policy and reform domain remains unclear and on the come. Since the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in March of 2010 the …

The Quality Payment Program

by Gregg A. Masters, MPH In our healthcare innovation economy from the private sector to material modifications of public programs including Medicare and Medicaid there is a massive effort to identify and enable sustainable delivery and financing schema to stem the treasury bleeding and inch however incrementally towards ‘universal coverage’. Ideological talking points opposing ‘Obamacare‘ …

The NextGen ACO: Another Round Opens

by Gregg A. Masters, MPH The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation has announced the results of its ‘continuous learning‘ commitment model wherein ‘field reports‘ including provider comments and open door inputs are materially incorporated into tweaks of the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) as risk is progressively adopted by participating ACOs. This ‘new round’ iteration …

TrumpCare: As the Puzzle Emerges…

by Gregg A. Masters, MPH As the Trump administration takes form via the nomination of Rep. Tom Price to ‘steward’ (or decimate) the massive bureaucracy of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) with Seema Verma nominated as Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Administration (CMS) the structural touch-points to manifest the ‘repeal and replace‘ agenda …

TrumpCare: What We ‘Know’?

by Gregg A. Masters, MPH You’ve no doubt heard the expression: ‘a picture is worth a thousand words‘. Well courtesy of Oliver Wyman Health we have an infographic that segments key provisions of ‘TrumpCare’s‘ impact on providers. For original graphic, click here, and timely commentary, see: ‘Special Election Coverage: What Now? The Impact of a …

As the TrumpCare Pivots Begins

by Gregg A. Masters, MPH Just when we thought it was safe to get back in the ‘white water of health reform‘ with needed fixes to this arguably complex and ambitious Act, surprise! Against all odds and the best and brightest minds in the polling community welcome President-Elect Donald Trump and his litany of public …