Archive for the ‘Value-Based Reimbursement’ Category

« Older Entries

Infographic: Are Specialty Practices Prepared for MACRA?

September 18th, 2017 by Melanie Matthews

A growing number of specialty physicians, comprised mainly of oncologists and urologists, recognize that clinical, financial and operational changes are needed to be successful under value-based healthcare reimbursement models stemming from MACRA regulations. However, the majority has not yet invested in organizational, IT, or service improvements needed to achieve them, according to a new study by Integra Connect.

A new infographic by Integra Connect highlights the survey findings, including details on the barriers to MIPS success and practices’ plans to optimize MIPS success.

Under CMS’s “Pick Your Pace” choices for Year 1 Quality Payment Program participation, physician practices may opt for the minimum activity necessary to avoid a payment penalty in 2019 by simply submitting some data in 2017.

However, instead of delaying MACRA participation to the later part of this year, physicians should prepare and better position themselves today for MIPS success by analyzing their existing CMS data on their practices’ performance and laying a path now toward performance improvement.

Physician MACRA-Readiness: Mining QRUR and Other CMS Data to Maximize MIPS Performance describes the wealth of data analytics available from the CMS Enterprise Portal–Quality Resource Use Reports (QRURs) and other reports providing a window into practice performance under the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS). MIPS is one of two MACRA reimbursement paths and the one where most physician practices are expected to align.

Get the latest healthcare infographics delivered to your e-inbox with Eye on Infographics, a bi-weekly, e-newsletter digest of visual healthcare data. Click here to sign up today.

Have an infographic you’d like featured on our site? Click here for submission guidelines.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Healthcare Quality Reporting, Healthcare Trends, Infographics, MACRA, Physician Practices, Specialists, Value-Based Reimbursement | No Comments »

Food for Thought: Nutrition Programs Reduce Hospital Visits and Readmissions by Vulnerable Populations

August 18th, 2017 by Patricia Donovan

Malnutrition is a social determinant of health that negatively impacts health outcomes.

It’s a difficult statistic to digest: one in three people enter the hospital malnourished or at risk of malnutrition, a state that impacts their recovery and increases their risk of health complications and rehospitalizations.

Two studies this week highlight the clinical benefits of addressing patients’ nutrition needs before and during hospital stays as well as savings that can result from identification of social determinants of health (SDOH) like access to nutrition that drive 85 percent of health outcomes.

In the first, a study of elderly Maryland residents by Benefits Data Trust, a national nonprofit based in Philadelphia, found that when it comes to low-income seniors, access to quality food via food stamps can also save money by reducing the number and duration of hospital visits and nursing home admissions.

In the second, research published in American Health & Drug Benefits journal and supported by Abbott found that when Advocate Health Care implemented a nutrition care program at four of its Chicago area hospitals, it showed more than $4.8 million in cost savings due to shorter hospital stays and lower readmission rates.

The Benefits Data Trust research found that participation by low-income seniors in the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) cut their odds of hospital admissions by 14 percent. The food stamps also reduced the need for ER visits by 10 percent, and cut their likelihood of going into a nursing home by nearly one quarter.

Finally, SNAP participation also led to an 8 to 10 percent drop in the number of days a patient who was admitted remained in one of these facilities.

As a result, hospitals and health care systems such as Advocate Health Care are looking at the value of nutrition to improve care and help patients get back to living a healthier life.

Starting in 2014, Advocate Health Care, the largest health system in Illinois and one of the largest accountable care organizations (ACO) in the country, implemented two models of a nutrition care program for patients at risk of malnutrition. The nutrition-focused quality improvement program, which targeted malnourished hospitalized patients, consisted of screening patients with a validated screening tool at admission, rapidly administering oral nutritional supplements, and educating patients on supplement adherence.

The leader in population health found that by doing so, it reduced 30-day readmission rates by 27 percent and the average hospital stay by nearly two days.

More recently, to evaluate the cost-savings of the Advocate approach, researchers used a novel, web-based budget impact model to assess the potential cost savings from the avoided readmissions and reduced time in hospital. Compared to the hospitals’ previous readmission rates and patients’ average length of stay, researchers found that optimizing nutrition care in the four hospitals resulted in roughly $3,800 cost savings per patient treated for malnutrition.

Given the healthcare industry’s appetite for value- and quality-based programs, SDOH screenings and the fortification of nutrition programs in both community and inpatient settings appear to be just what the doctor ordered. However, while a 2017 study on Social Determinants of Health identified widespread adoption of SDOH screenings by providers, it also documented a scarcity of supportive community services for SDOH-positive individuals.

Tags: , ,
Posted in Accountable Care Organizations, Avoidable ER Use, Care Coordination, Chronic Care Management, Elder Care, Health Risk Assessment, Healthcare Trends, Patient Engagement, Physician Practices, Quality Improvement, Reducing Readmissions, Social Determinants of health, Value-Based Reimbursement | No Comments »

HINfographic: Measuring Accountable Care Success

July 31st, 2017 by Melanie Matthews

What are the hallmarks of a flourishing accountable care organization (ACO)? Robust clinical outcomes and satisfied patients, say respondents to the 2017 ACO Survey by the Healthcare Intelligence Network. Adoption of ACOs more than doubled in the last four years, and ACO leadership shifted from physician-hospital organizations to integrated delivery systems.

A new infographic by HIN examines what other measures healthcare organizations use to measure ACO success, ACO physician staff size and ACO administration trends.

The accountable care organization, or ACO, has become a cornerstone of healthcare delivery system and payment reform by raising the bar on healthcare quality and reducing unnecessary costs. There are now more than 700 ACOs in existence today, by a 2017 SK&A estimate.

2017 Healthcare Benchmarks: Accountable Care Organizations, HIN’s fourth compendium of metrics on ACOs, captures ACO operation in today’s value- and quality-focused healthcare environment. This 50-page report, now in its fourth edition, delivers actionable data from healthcare companies who completed HIN’s fourth comprehensive ACO assessment in May 2017.

Get the latest healthcare infographics delivered to your e-inbox with Eye on Infographics, a bi-weekly, e-newsletter digest of visual healthcare data. Click here to sign up today.

Have an infographic you’d like featured on our site? Click here for submission guidelines.

Tags: , ,
Posted in Accountable Care Organizations, Healthcare Trends, Infographics, Value-Based Reimbursement | No Comments »

2017 ACO Snapshot: As Adoption Swells, Social Determinants of Health High on Accountable Care Agenda

June 29th, 2017 by Patricia Donovan

Nearly two-thirds of 2017 ACO Survey respondents attribute a reduction in hospital readmissions to accountable care activity.

Healthcare organizations may have been wary back in 2011, when the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) first introduced the accountable care organization (ACO) model. The HHS viewed the ACO framework as a tool to contain skyrocketing healthcare costs.

Fast-forward six years, and most resistance to ACOs appears to have dissipated. According to 2017 ACO metrics from the Healthcare Intelligence Network (HIN), ACO adoption more than doubled from 2013 to 2017, with the number of healthcare organizations participating in ACOs rising from 34 to 71 percent.

During that same period, the percentage of ACOs using shared savings models to reimburse its providers increased from 22 to 33 percent, HIN’s fourth comprehensive ACO snapshot found.

And in the spirit of delivering patient-centered, value-based care, ACOs have embraced a whole-person approach. In new ACO benchmarks identified this year, 37 percent of ACOs assess members for social determinants of health (SDOH). In support of that trend, the 2017 survey also found that one-third of responding ACOs include behavioral health providers.

Since that first accountable care foray by HHS, the number of ACO models has proliferated. The May 2017 HIN survey found that, of current ACO initiatives, the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) remains the front runner, with MSSP participation hovering near the same 66 percent level attained in HIN’s 2013 ACO snapshot.

Looking ahead to ACO models launching in 2018, 24 percent of respondents will embrace the Medicare ACO Track 1+ Model, a payment design that incorporates more limited downside risk.

This 2017 accountable care snapshot, which reflects feedback from 104 hospitals, health systems, payors, physician practices and others, also captured the following trends:

  • More than half—57 percent—participate in the Medicare Chronic Care Management program;
  • Cost and provider reimbursement are the top ACO challenges for 18 percent of 2017 respondents;
  • Clinical outcomes are the most telling measure of ACO success, say 83 percent of responding ACOs;
  • Twenty-nine percent of respondents not currently administering an ACO expect to launch an accountable care organization in the coming year;
  • 75 percent expect CMS to try and proactively assign Medicare beneficiaries to physician ACO panels to boost patient and provider participation.

Download HIN’s latest white paper, “Accountable Care Organizations in 2017: ACO Adoption Doubles in 4 Years As Shared Savings Gain Favor,” for a summary of May 2017 feedback from 104 hospitals and health systems, multi-specialty physician practices, health plans, and others on ACO activity.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Accountable Care Organizations, Affordable Care Act, Behavioral Health, Care Management, Chronic Care Management, Healthcare Benchmarks, Healthcare Reform, Hospital Readmissions, Physician-Hospital Organizations, Quality Improvement, Reducing Readmissions, Social Determinants of health, Value-Based Reimbursement | No Comments »

Improve Medication Adherence, and Payors Pay Attention

June 20th, 2017 by Patricia Donovan
medication adherence

Training in motivational interviewing helps Novant health set medication adherence goals that are meaningful to patients.

Seeking additional dollars from managed care contracts? Work harder at getting patients to adhere to medication therapies, advises Rebecca Bean, director of population health pharmacy for Novant Health. Here, Ms. Bean describes ways her organization is improving medication adherence, including pharmacist referrals, while enhancing Novant Health’s bottom line.

Medication adherence is a huge focus for our organization. There are some quality measures related to adherence, including CMS Star measures. They are triple-weighted, which indicates they mean a lot to payors. Often, medication adherence is a way to get additional dollars through managed care contracts. Our pharmacists work hard at helping patients adhere to medication therapies.

We have found some benefit to using adherence estimators. Adherence estimators give you a better feel for what is causing the patient to have difficulty with taking their medication. The other finding is that oftentimes providers are unaware; they have no idea patients aren’t taking medications. This becomes a safety issue; providers may keep adding blood pressure medications because they are not getting that blood pressure to goal. If for whatever reason the patient suddenly decides to take a medication they weren’t taking before, there could be a serious issue with taking all of those blood pressure medicines at one time.

The other benefit to estimating adherence and identifying root causes is that it frames the discussion with the patient. I don’t want to spend an hour talking to a patient about why it’s important to take this blood pressure medicine when it’s actually a financial issue. If I know it’s a financial issue, then I can make recommendations on cost-saving alternatives. It helps you to be more efficient in your conversation with the patient.

The other challenge of adherence is that patients are reluctant to be honest about this issue. You have to be creative to get the answers you need or get to the truth about adherence. If you flat out ask a patient if they’re taking their medications, most of the time they will say yes.

One other helpful strategy when working with patients to set adherence goals is to have them set goals that mean something to them. It’s not helpful for me to set a goal for a patient. If I ask them to tell me what they’re going to do, then they’re accountable for that. It is very helpful to get your staff trained in motivational interviewing. This trains them to meet the patients where they are and to understand what is important to that patient, which helps you frame the medication therapy discussion.

Source: Leveraging Pharmacists to Reduce Cost and Improve Medication Adherence in High-Risk Populations

pharmacists and medication adherence

Leveraging Pharmacists to Reduce Cost and Improve Medication Adherence in High-Risk Populations examines Novant Health’s deployment of pharmacists as part of its five-pronged strategy to deliver healthcare value through medication management services.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Accountable Care Organizations, Care Coordination, Care Transitions, Chronic Care Management, Hospital Readmissions, Medication Management, Prescription Drugs, Value-Based Reimbursement | No Comments »

Shared SNF Patients, Common Readmissions Goals Unify Three Competing Health Systems

June 15th, 2017 by Patricia Donovan

A common desire to reduce SNF readmissions resulted in the formation of Michigan's Tri-County SNF Collaborative.

A common desire to reduce SNF readmissions resulted in the formation of Michigan’s Tri-County SNF Collaborative.

Concerned about escalating hospital readmissions from skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) and the accompanying pinch of Medicare readmissions penalties, three Michigan healthcare organizations decided to set competition aside to collaborate and reduce rehospitalizations from SNFs. Here, Susan Craft, director of care coordination, family caregiver program, Office of Clinical Quality & Safety at Henry Ford Health System, describes the origins of Michigan’s Tri-County SNF Collaborative, of which her organization is a founding member.

I want to talk about the formation of the Tri-County SNF Collaborative between Henry Ford Health System, Detroit Medical Center, and St. John Providence Health System. As quality and care transition leaders from each of the health systems, we see each other frequently at various meetings. After some good conversation, we learned that each of us was partnering with our SNFs to improve quality and reduce readmissions.

We all required that they submit data to us that was very similar in nature but not exactly the same, which created a lot of burden for our SNFs to conform to multiple reporting requirements. We knew we were working with the same facilities because geographically, we are all very close to each other. We recognized that this was really a community problem, and not an individual hospital problem. Although we are all competing healthcare systems, those of us with very similar roles in the organization had very little risk from working together. And because we had so much in common, it just made sense that we create this collaborative.

We also worked with our MPRO (Michigan Quality Improvement Organization) and reviewed data that showed that about 30 percent of our patient population was shared between our three health systems. We decided it made sense to move forward. We created a partnership that was based on collaboration and transparency, even within our health systems. We identified common metrics to be used by all of our organizations and agreed upon operational definitions for each of those. We all reached out to our SNF partners to tell them about the collaborative and invite them to join, and then engaged MPRO as our objective third party. We created a charter to solidify that cooperation and collaboration.

Source: A Collaborative Blueprint for Reducing SNF Readmissions: Driving Results with Quality Reporting and Performance Metrics

reducing SNF readmissions

A Collaborative Blueprint for Reducing SNF Readmissions: Driving Results with Quality Reporting and Performance Metrics examines the evolution of the Tri-County SNF Collaborative, as well as the set of clinical and quality targets and metrics with which it operates.

Tags: ,
Posted in Care Transitions, Chronic Care Management, Healthcare Quality Ratings, Hospital Readmissions, Medicare, Quality Improvement, Reducing Readmissions, Skilled Nursing Facilities, Transitions in Care, Value-Based Reimbursement | No Comments »

Infographic: Anatomy of the ACO Market

May 31st, 2017 by Melanie Matthews

Since the first accountable care organization (ACO) came to market in 2010, the size and shape of the market has changed drastically, according to a new infographic by Oliver Wyman.

There are now 630+ ACOs in the market, plus hundreds of additional pilots being tested. The infographic presents a comprehensive analysis of the ACO market. From overall size of the market to regional differences, “winners” by type, and trends in risk-based models.

The accountable care organization, or ACO, has become a cornerstone of healthcare delivery system and payment reform by raising the bar on healthcare quality and reducing unnecessary costs. There are now more than 700 ACOs in existence today, by a 2017 SK&A estimate.

2017 Healthcare Benchmarks: Accountable Care Organizations, HIN’s fifth compendium of metrics on ACOs, captures ACO operation in today’s value- and quality-focused healthcare environment.

Get the latest healthcare infographics delivered to your e-inbox with Eye on Infographics, a bi-weekly, e-newsletter digest of visual healthcare data. Click here to sign up today.

Have an infographic you’d like featured on our site? Click here for submission guidelines.

Tags: , ,
Posted in Accountable Care Organizations, Healthcare Trends, Infographics, Value-Based Reimbursement | No Comments »

Infographic: Examining Medical Minds on Value-based Healthcare

May 12th, 2017 by Melanie Matthews

While political and economic environments may be changing, healthcare professionals agree that the journey to value-based healthcare will continue, according to a new infographic by 3M.

The infographic examines the move toward value-based care and healthcare professionals’ value-based healthcare perceptions.

11 Profitable Value-Based Reimbursement Models: Lessons from Early AdoptersCMS’s ambitious agenda for moving Medicare into alternative payment models is driving the U.S. healthcare system toward greater value-based purchasing at a furious rate. Private payors also have pledged to continue to shift payments away from fee for service and into alternative payment models such as accountable care organizations (ACOs). Fortunately, many healthcare organizations are already exploring value-based payments—often a single innovation at a time—testing models that reward providers for meeting Triple Aim goals of improving patient experience and population health while reducing healthcare’s per capita cost.

11 Profitable Value-Based Reimbursement Models: Lessons from Early Adopters encapsulates nearly a dozen such approaches, from Bon Secours’ building of a business case for its multidisciplinary care team to the John C. Lincoln ACO’s deep dive into data analytics to identify and manage the care of high-risk, high-cost ‘VIP’ patients to ‘beat the benchmark’ to WellPoint’s engagement of specialists in care coordination.

Get the latest healthcare infographics delivered to your e-inbox with Eye on Infographics, a bi-weekly, e-newsletter digest of visual healthcare data. Click here to sign up today.

Have an infographic you’d like featured on our site? Click here for submission guidelines.

Tags: , ,
Posted in Healthcare Trends, Infographics, Value-Based Reimbursement | No Comments »

CMS Quality Payment Program: Clinicians Should Expect MIPS Participation Status Letter This Month

May 4th, 2017 by Melanie Matthews

change this

CMS has specified two key criteria for MIPS participation.

The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is reviewing claims and letting practices know which clinicians need to take part in the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS), according to information on MLNConnects, the CMS Medical Learning Network.

MIPS is an important part of the new Quality Payment Program (QPP). In late April through May, clinicians will get a letter from their Medicare administrative contractor that processes Medicare Part B claims, providing the participation status of each MIPS clinician associated with their Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN).

Clinicians should participate in MIPS in the 2017 transition year if they meet the following conditions:

  • Bill more than $30,000 in Medicare Part B allowed charges a year; and
  • Provide care for more than 100 Part B-enrolled Medicare beneficiaries a year.

The QPP intends to shift reimbursement from the volume of services provided toward a payment system that rewards clinicians for their overall work in delivering the best care for patients. It replaces the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula and streamlines the “Legacy Programs:” Physician Quality Reporting System, the Value-based Payment Modifier, and the Medicare Electronic Health Records Incentive Program.

During this first year of the QPP program, CMS said it is committed to working with clinicians to streamline the process as much as possible. The federal payor stated that its goal is to further reduce burdensome requirements so that providers can deliver the best possible care to patients.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Accountable Care Organizations, Healthcare Quality Reporting, MACRA, Value-Based Reimbursement | No Comments »

Infographic: Payer-Provider Partnership Trends

May 3rd, 2017 by Melanie Matthews

Partnered-products are gaining favor with payers and providers, and the value-based environment is pushing players to explore new ways to control total cost of care, according to a new infographic by Oliver Wyman.

The infographic provides an up-to-date look at market-wide and nationwide trends in payer-provider partnerships.

Positioning for Value-Based Reimbursement: Leveraging Care Management for Clinical and Financial OutcomesWhile others wait for the healthcare industry to complete its transition to value-based reimbursement, Bon Secours Medical Group has already aligned itself with payment reform, leveraging its care team and providers and automating workflows to enjoy immediate rewards from its patient-centered approach.

Positioning for Value-Based Reimbursement: Leveraging Care Management for Clinical and Financial Outcomes describes how this 600-provider medical group has primed its providers to employ a broad mix of team-based care, technology and retooled care delivery systems to maximize quality and clinical outcomes and reduce spend associated with its managed patients.

Click here for more information.

Get the latest healthcare infographics delivered to your e-inbox with Eye on Infographics, a bi-weekly, e-newsletter digest of visual healthcare data. Click here to sign up today.

Have an infographic you’d like featured on our site? Click here for submission guidelines.

Tags: , ,
Posted in Healthcare Costs, Infographics, Value-Based Reimbursement | No Comments »

« Older Entries