Coral’s 5 Takeaways from naacos
The National Association of ACOs (NAACOS) held its 2023 fall conference in Washington, DC on September 21st and 22nd and you could feel the energy was up. They had a record turnout of over 700 attendees - ACO participants, enablers, consultants, and professionals focused on all things accountable care. Coral Health Advisors was in attendance and came away with 5 key impressions to share.
1. Other Payers were on the Menu.
Whether it was a session on Medicare Advantage, multi-payer alignment or direct to employer contracting, ACO participants were discussing VBC risk and payment arrangements across lines of business. MSSP was not the only topic of conversation.
2. Standing Room Only for Risk Adjustment.
From the exhibit hall of vendors to the breakout sessions, risk adjustment was everywhere. Not a single empty seat could be found in the session on how ACOs are preparing for the transition from HCC v24 to v28 which is creating financial uncertainty for many.
3. New Waivers Slow to Gain Traction.
ACO Reach offers new options for benefit enhancements and Medicare payment waivers including waiving Part B cost sharing, a chronic care management reward, and concurrent care for beneficiaries electing hospice. Yet a session on waivers featured three ACOs discussing the SNF 3-day rule waiver, the first of the waivers initially introduced by CMS in the Pioneer ACO program more than a decade ago. This is not surprising given the relatively slow uptake of these newer benefit enhancements but also raises questions about what else ACOs would need to implement these types of supplemental benefits on par with MA.
4. Policy Makers Hear Pushback on eCQMs.
ACO participants thanked CMS policy makers for the introduction of the Medicare CQM quality reporting option in the 2024 proposed PFS. But ACO operators also expressed the need for greater clarity around the CMS quality strategy and posed questions around whether the goal of moving to eCQMs is worth the administrative burden and infrastructure expense.
5. Shutdown Uncertainty Looms.
While Medicare is not part of annual appropriations, a conference in Washington focused on a CMS program against the backdrop of a looming government shutdown definitely had people wondering if and how program operations would be affected, particularly in programs accepting applications now like MCP (Making Care Primary) and with ACO programs like REACH which calculate up-front capitation payments, where the implementation is yet to have a smooth roll out.
NAACOS is a client of Coral Health Advisors. Perspectives in this blog are solely the insights of Coral Health Advisors and do not reflect the opinions of NAACOS.