Key CMMI updates to the EOM  The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) released exciting updates to the Enhancing Oncology Model (EOM) along with a new opportunity for a second cohort of participants.   The EOM aims to enhance the quality of care for cancer patients while reducing costs under the Medicare fee-for-service program. The updates come on the heels of lower-than-expected model participation .   This blog will discuss key EOM updates, application details, eligibility requirements and important deadlines.  New cohort opportunity  Request for applications: CMS issued an RFA to recruit a second cohort of participants and payers for the EOM.  Timeline:  Second cohort start date: July 1, 2025  Second cohort end date: June 30, 2030  Initial performance period start date: July 1, 2023  Model test end date for all participants: June 30, 2030 (extended from June 30, 2028)  Notable changes to the EOM model...

Six years after its launch, CMS’ Oncology Care Model ended on June 30, 2022. Oncology practices that participated and stayed through the entirety of the program had clinical buy-in for the delivery of value-based care for cancer patients. However, despite CMS’ desire for a replacement model to continue OCM’s practice transformation, its Enhancing Oncology Model didn’t attract critical mass. At this point, you may be asking yourself, “What happened to all the practices that participated in OCM? Why didn’t they choose to continue?” In this blog, DataGen will answer those questions with three observations about EOM. Observation #1: Failure to meaningfully incorporate clinical adjustments CMS failed to incorporate clinical adjustments into EOM’s target price methodology in a meaningful way, beyond what was demonstrated in the final performance periods of OCM . Instead of factoring clinical data elements into the underlying cancer-specific regression models, EOM continues to incorporate a ...

As the final at-risk period for the Oncology Care Model was closing at the end of June, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation announced its new Enhancing Oncology Model (EOM). EOM aims to improve the coordination of oncology care, drive practice transformation and reduce Medicare fee-for-service spending through episode-based payment.  What is EOM? EOM is a voluntary, five-year model set to begin July 1, 2023. Patients undergoing chemotherapy for the treatment of cancer will trigger six-month episodes of care.  Eligible EOM participants include physician group practices with at least one Medicare-enrolled physician or a non-physician practitioner who furnishes evaluation and management services to Medicare beneficiaries receiving chemotherapy for cancer treatment.  EOM participants are required to implement eight participant redesign activities to drive care transformation in their practice. Examples include the provision of patient navigation, 24/7 access ...