14 Oct HCTTF Executive Director Jeff Micklos Statement on 2020 LAN Summit
Statement of Health Care Transformation Task Force Executive Director Jeff Micklos on 2020 LAN Summit:
Yesterday during the Health Care Payment Learning and Action Network Summit, it was inspiring to hear the stories of America’s many great health care organizations that have committed to value-based health care transformation. The hard work to change our nation’s health care system continues apace and is being led by fearless private sector leaders who are keeping their eye on the ball. While the current pandemic has tested our capabilities, value-based care has shown the promise of forging a resilient health care system in the face of all odds.
The Health Care Transformation Task Force appreciates the role that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has played in pushing this journey forward. However, the remarks from CMS leadership yesterday were disappointing in that they reflected a singular focus on savings to the Medicare Trust Fund without recognizing the many ways that the Medicare value-based models have improved care delivery to Medicare beneficiaries. During the pandemic, these beneficiaries have been well served by the robust care management and telehealth capabilities made possible by value-based models, especially compared to those remaining in traditional fee-for-service. We applaud the many stakeholders that have voluntarily invested in and partnered with the CMS Innovation Center to test these innovative models with full knowledge that finding the optimal model would take time, patience, and iteration. Inherent with any innovation is learning about which experiments work and which do not.
The Task Force recently released a series of impact briefers providing a broader perspective on the benefits of CMS’s value-based payment models. They demonstrate how providers participating in early CMMI demonstrations like the Pioneer ACO and the Diabetes Prevention Program not only reduced health care costs and improved the health of the Medicare population, but also catapulted the industry-wide movement to a value-based, wellness-focused health system. Today, the Task Force also released Value-Based Care Amid COVID-19: Stories from the Frontlines, which highlights our members’ activities to address care delivery during a pandemic. This resource provides a comprehensive picture of how our members have leveraged their value-based care infrastructure and developed innovative new resources in response to the current public health emergency.
We recognize the many Task Force members that contributed to the LAN’s Summit agenda yesterday. The work of Atrius Health, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina, Families USA, Trinity Health, and Washington State Health Care Authority inspire us all and remind us that this important journey remains an important commitment by the private sector to the future of our nation’s health care system. These organizations have been on the vanguard of health care delivery transformation and have shown unwavering commitment in accelerating the move to value-based care and deserve recognition for their public service in helping the Medicare program modernize its payment programs.