CMS Announces AHEAD Model to Improve Overall Health of State Population
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on Thursday unveiled its States Advancing All-Payer Health Equity Approaches and Development (AHEAD) model to better address chronic disease, behavioral health, and other medical conditions among state populations.
CMS said the new approach is intended to help participating states be better equipped to promote health equity, increase access to primary care services, set healthcare expenditures on a more sustainable trajectory, and lower healthcare costs for patients.
AHEAD also includes specific payment models for participating hospitals and primary care practices as a tool to achieve the model’s goals. Through AHEAD, CMS said it aims to strengthen primary care, improve care coordination for people with Medicare and Medicaid, and increase screening and referrals to community resources such as housing and transportation to address social drivers of health.
CMS will issue awards to up to eight states, and each selected state will have an opportunity to receive up to $12 million from CMS to support state implementation. The agency said states interested in participating in the model may apply during two different application periods and elect to participate in one of three cohorts with staggered start dates and performance years.
CMS will release the Notice of Funding Opportunity, which includes the specific application requirements, in the late fall.
CMS Releases Request for Applications for New ‘Making Care Primary’ Model
CMS also announced it is now accepting applications for its recently introduced voluntary Making Care Primary, or MCP, model.
Launching on July 1, 2024, the 10.5-year model will be tested in eight states – Colorado, North Carolina, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Minnesota, Massachusetts, and Washington – and is meant to give primary care clinicians the tools they need to form partnerships with healthcare specialists and leverage community-based connections to address patients’ needs.
“This model will attempt to strengthen coordination between patients’ primary care clinicians, specialists, social service providers, and behavioral health clinicians, ultimately leading to chronic disease prevention, fewer emergency room visits, and better health outcomes,” CMS said in its announcement about accepting applications.
CMS also said its new MCP care approach communicates the agency’s vision for three domains: care management, care integration, and community engagement. For the second domain of care integration, CMS said participants will strengthen their connections with specialty care clinicians while using “evidence based behavioral health screening and evaluation to improve patient care and coordination.”
CMS will accept applications through Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023 by 11:59 p.m. ET. Click
here for more details and eligibility requirements.
Cassidy Seeks Information to Improve Americans’ Health Data Privacy
Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee Ranking Member Sen. Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-La.) on Thursday announced he’s seeking information from stakeholders about ways to improve the privacy protections of health data in a way that safeguards sensitive information while balancing the need to support medical research.
According to a Senate HELP Committee announcement, Cassidy, an NABH Champion, hopes to use the stakeholder feedback to identify solutions to modernize HIPAA and ensure that all health data are safeguarded properly.
The deadline to submit feedback is Thursday, Sept. 28. Click
here to read Cassidy’s full request and
here to submit comments.
CMS Announces Webinar on Person-Centered Approaches to Improving Behavioral Health Condition Management
CMS’ Medicare-Medicaid Coordination Office this week announced an upcoming webinar that will examine how traditional silos of care impede comprehensive approaches to care coordination and explore potential solutions to improve behavioral health condition management in persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Presenters include Andrea Witwer, Ph.D., associate clinical professor in psychiatry and behavioral health at Ohio State; family caregiver Patricia Nobbie, Ph.D.; and Olivia Ayers, LMCH, LPC, clinical director at Elevate Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic in Iowa.
The 90-minute webinar will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 27 starting at 2:30 p.m. ET. Click
here to learn more and to register.
2023 NABH Membership Directory Update Deadline is Next Week!
The deadline for NABH system members to submit changes about their organizations for the 2023 NABH Directory is
Wednesday, Sept. 13.
NABH’s online-only 2023 Membership Directory is an essential member benefit that helps the association advance its advocacy efforts. Last month NABH sent system members a link to the association’s membership-update tool. To help ensure we have the most accurate information on our members, please use the link to verify your system’s information.
The answers to these questions will help us provide a more accurate description of our diverse membership to policymakers, regulators, partner organizations, and the media.
Please be sure to enter information for all your system’s facilities to help provide NABH with an accurate picture of our membership.
If you need assistance, please contact Maria Merlie
maria@nabh.org or 202-393-6700, ext. 104.
Reminder: Please Submit Your Managed Care Denials Data to Support NABH Advocacy
Thank you to all members who have submitted data to NABH’s denial-of-care portal!
We are still seeking data from additional members to support advocacy on health plan denials and prior-authorization timeliness. If you are a new participant, please e-mail NABH Administrative Coordinator
Emily Wilkins for support.
Fact of the Week:
Of people appointed to HHS between 2004 and 2020, about one-third (32%) left for positions in industry, according to a comprehensive
Health Affairs study of the “revolving door” in healthcare regulation.
Axios,
Becker’s Hospital Review, and
Fierce Healthcare were among the news outlets that reported on the findings, which raise questions about the potential conflict-of-interest risks between industry and the federal department that regulates it.
For questions or comments about this CEO Update, please contact Jessica Zigmond.