The unexpected election of Donald J. Trump to the U.S. presidency threatened some healthcare initiatives from the Obama administration, including the Affordable Care Act.
There was only one thing capable of distracting the healthcare industry in 2016 from MACRA’s imminent rollout: the election of Donald J. Trump to the presidency of the United States.
Nevertheless, the majority of the last twelve months was spent on healthcare business as usual—the business of transitioning to value-based models of care delivery and reimbursement.
Here are the headlines that dominated the news feeds of healthcare executives in 2016:
New CMS ‘Accountable Health Communities’ Model Aims to Improve Patients’ Health by Addressing Social Needs
January 2016: In a first-ever CMS Innovation Center pilot project to test improving patients’ health by addressing their social needs, the HHS appropriated $157 million in funding to bridge clinical care with social services.
The new pilot will test whether screening beneficiaries for health-related social needs and associated referrals to and navigation of community-based services will improve quality and affordability in Medicare and Medicaid. Many of these social issues, such as housing instability, hunger, and interpersonal violence, affect individuals’ health, yet they may not be detected or addressed during typical healthcare-related visits.
Medicare Shares 6 Core Principles for 21 New ‘Next Generation ACOs’
January 2016: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) made waves when it launched a new accountable care organization (ACO) model called the Next Generation ACO Model (NGACO Model). The twenty-one ACOs participating in the NGACO Model in 2016 have significant experience coordinating care for populations of patients through initiatives, including, but not limited to, the Medicare Shared Savings Program and the Pioneer ACO Model.
Providers Slow to Adopt Population Health, Value-Based Models of Care: Study
February 2016: Most healthcare providers continue to lag in implementing population health management despite broad agreement it will be important for future market success, according to a national study by healthcare strategy consultancy Numerof & Associates. The study synthesized survey responses from more than 300 executives and in-depth interviews with over 100 key decision-makers across U.S. healthcare delivery organizations. It provided the first in-depth, national look at the pace of transition from fee-for-service to models based on fixed payments linked to outcomes.
Horizon BCBSNJ ‘Episodes of Care’ Program Pays $3 Million in Shared Savings to Specialty Medical Practice
February 2016: Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey (Horizon BCBSNJ) announced that it paid out approximately $3 million to 51 specialty medical practices as part of shared savings generated through the company’s innovative Episodes of Care (EOC) Program. The doctors, in five different specialty areas, earned the payments by achieving quality, cost efficiency and patient satisfaction goals in 2014 while treating more than 8,000 Horizon BCBSNJ members. The EOC model, also known as bundled payments, is one in which specialists manage the full spectrum of care related to a specific procedure, disease diagnosis or health event—such as a joint replacement or pregnancy.
Bundled Payments Improve Care for Medicare Joint Replacement Patients: NYU Langone Study
March 2016: Implementing bundled payments for total joint replacements resulted in year-over-year improvements in quality of care and patient outcomes while reducing overall costs, according to a new three-year study from NYU Langone Medical Center. The three-year pilot at the medical center reported reductions in patient length-of-stay and readmission rates.
CMS to Test New SNF Payment Model to Curb Readmissions, Foster Multidisciplinary Care
March 2016: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) today announced it would test whether a new payment model for nursing facilities and practitioners will further reduce avoidable hospitalizations, lower combined Medicare and Medicaid spending, and improve the quality of care received by nursing facility residents. This next phase of the Initiative to Reduce Avoidable Hospitalizations among Nursing Facility Residents seeks to reduce avoidable hospitalizations among beneficiaries eligible for Medicare and/or Medicaid by providing new payments to practitioners for engagement in multidisciplinary care planning activities.
Proposed MACRA Rule Would Streamline Medicare Value-Based Payment Models
May 2016: In issuing a proposal to align and modernize how Medicare payments are tied to the cost and quality of patient care for hundreds of thousands of doctors and other clinicians, the Department of Health & Human Services took the first step in implementing certain provisions of the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA).
Are You MACRA-Ready? Physician Groups Prep Members for Medicare Payment Modernization
May 2016: As they digested the HHS’s momentous proposal to modernize how Medicare provider payments are tied to the cost and quality of patient care, physician organizations began assembling arsenals of educational tools to de-mystify MACRA. The federal government’s first step in implementing certain provisions of the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) was detailed in an April 2016 announcement.
CMS Releases MACRA Final Rule; Creates Two Pathways for Clinician Value-Based Payments
October 2016: The Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) finalized a landmark new payment system for Medicare clinicians that will continue the administration’s progress in reforming how the healthcare system pays for care. The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) Quality Payment Program, which replaces the flawed Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR), will equip clinicians with the tools and flexibility to provide high-quality, patient-centered care.
ACA Afterlife: Unwinding Obamacare Under the Trump Administration
November 2016: If U.S. President-elect Donald J. Trump delivers on his campaign promises, the ‘repeal and replacement’ of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) should be an early priority for the nation’s chief executive-in-waiting. That prospect sent shock waves through the healthcare industry, as evidenced by a snapshot of post-election responses to the Healthcare Trends in 2017 survey sponsored by the Healthcare Intelligence Network.
Trump Taps Orthopedic Surgeon, Medicaid Architect to Helm U.S. Healthcare Posts, Determine ACA Fate
November 2016: Calling his nominees “the dream team that will transform our healthcare system for the benefit of all Americans,” President-elect Donald J. Trump announced his plan to nominate Chairman of the House Budget Committee Congressman Tom Price, M.D. (GA-06) as secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Seema Verma as administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
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Strong payer-provider partnerships and a focus on care transitions creates a positive impact on patient experience and outcomes, according to a new infographic by naviHealth, Inc.
A care transitions management program operated by Sun Health since 2011 has significantly reduced hospital readmissions for nearly 12,000 Medicare patients, resulting in $14.8 million in savings to the Medicare program. Using home visits as a core strategy, the Sun Health Care Transitions program was a top performer in CMS’s recently concluded Community-Based Care Transitions (CBCT) demonstration project, which was launched in 2012 to explore new solutions for reducing hospital readmissions, improving quality and achieving measurable savings for Medicare. 
