There is renewed emphasis on advancing primary care. Primary care serves as the front door to the overall healthcare system, and early and accurate diagnosis can lead to fewer hospital admissions – a metric that has become especially important during the pandemic. With the January 2022 launch of Primary Care First Cohort 2, it is important to review how the program works and what steps healthcare organizations should take to ensure the best outcomes. To be successful, PCF participants must pay special attention to three aspects – tracking beneficiary population, obtaining physician buy-in, and ensuring timely access to performance metrics. Tracking Beneficiary Population Tracking patients participating in the PCF program is necessary to build patient navigation processes and monitor care outcomes. However, this can be challenging for many providers as internal EMR solutions do not provide complete data across the entire continuum of care for all providers that a patient may see. Th...

In this edition of DataGen Insights, we take a deep look at the important role of data analytics in understanding health outcomes. Read more to learn how hospitals are using data to guide their social determinants of health strategies. DataGen's newsletter is designed to provide relevant healthcare insights to providers and associations. Please explore our website to learn more about our products and services .  Download DataGen Insights today .  We hope you enjoy!

Can ACO REACH help CMS and providers achieve the unmet goals of prior alternative payment models? If so, a stronger focus on equity, provider leadership, accountability through risk and evaluation may make the difference. Announced Feb. 24, ACO REACH — Accountable Care Organization Realizing Equity, Access, and Community Health — is CMS' newest voluntary APM. Robust resources and capabilities will be needed to navigate its requirements. As highlighted in a recent CMS webinar , ACO REACH is the first APM to launch following a Strategy Refresh by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation. ACO REACH aligns with the CMMI objective of driving accountable care to improve cost and quality and will replace the current Global and Professional Direct Contacting program, effective Jan. 1, 2023. CMMI encourages current GPDC participants and new entrants to apply, noting that selection criteria and performance monitoring will be more stringent. This blog highlights key differences bet...