In September 2023 and March 2024, CMS announced two new care models – the States Advancing All-Payer Health Equity Approaches and Development Model (AHEAD Model), and the ACO Primary Care Flex Model, respectively – that offer promising opportunities for better care delivery, outcomes, and health equity for people with serious illness. The goal of the AHEAD Model is to collaborate…

C-TAC acknowledges CMMI’s recent decision to end testing of the Hospice Benefit Component of the Value-Based Insurance Design (VBID) Model. There were executional reasons for payers and providers to do so and we will continue to work with the agency, providers, payers, and policy makers on ways to improve care of those with serious illness and their families using our…

C-TAC’s Senior Regulatory Advisor, Dr. Marian Grant, co-authored a recent Journal of the American Geriatrics Society article on how the new Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) GUIDE Dementia care model is actually a serious illness model. The GUIDE model is the first CMMI model to address all 11 of CTAC’s principles for models for serious illness care. The…

Nothing gets done in Washington, right? Well…in a year when Congress had the fewest bills passed, ever, and polarization seemed at its highest, it was a breakthrough year for C-TAC’s policy advocacy. The public policy wins in this recap of 2023 will have an immediate impact for patients, caregivers, and their care teams in 2024. We couldn’t have done it…

C-TAC has submitted comments to CMS on those measures under consideration (MUC) pertinent to those with serious illness. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) annually issues a Measures Under Consideration List (MUC List) for public comment and this is an opportunity to weigh in on potential future measures before they’re finalized or proposed for Medicare program use. Each…

Dementia is challenging for patients, families, providers, and many of our Coalition members. It affects nearly 7 million Americans today. Their care is fragmented with little support for social needs or caregiver burdens. But now there is a new model your organization may want to participate in to improve that care. The new CMS Innovation Center’s (CMMI) Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience (GUIDE)…

At the September 12 Policy Member Meet-up, C-TAC’s policy team provided updates on our regulatory, Congressional, and state policy engagement. Torrie Fields provided updates on recent advances in state and private efforts to expand access to serious illness care. States are taking multiple routes including standalone palliative care benefits;

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently outlined their strategic plan focusing on health equity, a move that could be a significant change for care for people with serious illness. CMS’s new focus on health equity aims to close gaps in access, quality, and outcomes for underserved populations. It also emphasizes the importance of culturally and linguistically appropriate services. CMS’s new focus on health equity aims to close gaps in access…

The annual Physician Fee Schedule includes updates on what services will be included and paid for by Medicare Part B. This is where billing codes and their payments are introduced and up for public comment. Read C-TAC’s comments to CMS > This year, several new codes and services are being proposed that could significantly improve the care of those living with serious illness and their families. Many of them are what C-TAC has consistently advocated for, so C-TAC has a lot to support here.

C-TAC recently responded to a CMMI request for information on episode-based payment models. C-TAC highlighted some of our work including the Serious Illness Multi-Payer Learning Collaborative, an engaged group of leading health plans, integrated delivery systems, and accountable care organizations who are paving the way to deliver better care for those living with serious illness and their families.

C-TAC recently submitted comments on CMS’s proposed rule for hospice for FY 2024 that advocated for reforming the Medicare Hospice Benefit to allow for transitional concurrent care and more equitable access to this important benefit. Key comments were: Misleading use of the term “palliative care”. C-TAC noted our appreciation that CMS’s definition of palliative care includes mention of its being appropriate “throughout the continuum of illness.”

C-TAC recently submitted comments (add link) in support of a proposed CMS rule to reinstate nondiscrimination provisions……