Kidney Care Choices has begun and participating dialysis facilities, nephrologists and other healthcare providers are on their way to improving care for patients with end-stage renal disease. Does your practice have the necessary steps in place to maximize returns in the Kidney Care Choices Model? Each of the options for KCC participation offers many benefits, but the rules are complex and participating presents financial risks. Learn more about the three strategies you can employ for KCC success in our new infographic, and access a checklist of all the steps you can take to enhance outcomes, track requirements, and continuously measure performance.

CMS has introduced more than 50 innovative care delivery models designed to drive health system transformation over the last decade. Only six of those produced significant savings; of those, only four met the requirements to be expanded. As the second 10-year period of the program gets underway, which includes $10 billion in new funding, CMS’ Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation is considering numerous changes to improve the overall success of these programs and, in turn, drive overall gains in care outcomes and health equity. When evaluating what has worked in the past and what changes are needed moving forward, it is important to review what success looks like for Alternative Payment Model programs.  CMMI relies on three benchmarks to measure levels of success: The gold standard: improving quality of care while simultaneously reducing expenditures. Improving quality of care without impacting expenditures. Reducing expenditures without impacting qual...

Alternative payment programs are critical to payment and care delivery transformation. CMS is introducing new alternative payment models that provide opportunities to deliver better value of care and support healthcare innovation in the years to come. Rising healthcare trends should be taken into consideration when evaluating new APMs. Yet, keeping ahead of which programs offer you the greatest opportunity can be a major challenge. DataGen put together Navigating Alternative Payment Models: A User's Guide , offering insights on the participation categories—and detail on programs within each category—this resource can help you determine the best course for your organization’s future. Download our user's guide to learn about new APMs, implications for providers and data-driven strategies for successful pro gram execution.

It’s been a year: a year since the first lockdowns and a year since the landscape of healthcare in the U.S. changed forever. While we’re still evaluating the impacts of the pandemic on healthcare policy, we now have seen enough data to assess the effect of the past year on alternative payments models and how participants are reacting. It’s been reassuring to see the strength of APMs has broadly held steady, as has the resolve of the participants in those programs, despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Here’s what we’ve learned this year, along with what (we think) those lessons can teach us about the future. COVID-19 has not stopped the progress of APMs — but it is delaying it. COVID-19 has extended the period of some programs, like the Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement and Oncology Care Model, and delayed the start of others, like Kidney Care First and the Radiation Oncology Model. This is, in part, a function of an overwhelmed system. As policymakers and healthcare org...