CMS: More than 359,000 clinicians to participate in top APMs in 2017
The organization also said APMs ensure that taxpayer money is spent more wisely.
A mere two days before leaving Washington, officials at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services touted gains in alternative payment models that have resulted in more than 359,000 clinicians confirmed to participate in four of the agency's top' APMs in 2017.
CMS called it "an important part of the Administration's effort to build a system that delivers better care and one in which clinicians work together to have a full understanding of patients' needs."
The organization also said APMs ensure that taxpayer money is spent more wisely.
"By listening to physicians and engaging them as partners, CMS has been able to develop innovative payment reforms that bring physicians back to the core practice of medicine: caring for the patient," said Acting Administrator Andy Slavitt in a statement. "By reducing regulatory burden and paying for quality, CMS is offering solutions that improve the quality of services our beneficiaries receive and reduce costs, to help ensure the Medicare program is sustainable for generations to come."
In addition to the 359,000-plus clinicians now participating in APMs, CMS highlighted other numbers: There are currently more than 12.3 million Medicare and/or Medicaid beneficiaries; 572 Accountable Care Organizations across the Shared Savings program, Next Generation ACO Model and CEC Model; 131 ACOs in a risk-bearing track; and 2,893 primary care practices participating in CPC+.
CMS expects that by the 2018 performance year, 25 percent of clinicians in the Quality Payment Program will be participating in an Advanced APM, eligible to earn APM incentive payments.
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