The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has expressed a desire to move its innovation center in a “new direction,” and providers are offering their opinions on how to push the agency’s payment reforms forward.
CMS issued a request for information at the end of September and accepted comments on the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation’s future through the beginning of this week.
But critics of the move said it was intended to undermine Medicare.
The American Hospital Association said in a letter (PDF) that future payment models must be built on a foundation of transparency that allows participants to make informed decisions, and that risk and reward are balanced in a way that encourages providers to take on more risk without being unfair.
“Our members support the healthcare system moving toward the provision of more accountable, coordinated care and are redesigning delivery systems to increase value and better serve patients,” the AHA said. “They believe that programs implemented by CMMI are an important step toward determining the best methods to improve the quality of care while also reducing Medicare expenditures.”