CMS Opens the Door to Innovation

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently launched the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation. Armed with $10 billion to fund pilot projects, the Center aims to support innovative ideas in a few specific areas:

• Better Care for Individuals: How can innovation make healthcare more patient-focused and more efficient? Also included is how bundled payments can help meet these goals.
• Coordinating Care: How can various healthcare providers and accountable care organizations work together to deliver better, more efficient care?
• Community Care Models: How can innovation reduce public health issues such as obesity, smoking, and heart disease at the community level?
• Multi-payer coordination: The Center is working with eight states to pilot programs that integrate the care of patients who receive Medicare, Medicaid, and/or private health plans. 1200 medical homes serving almost 1 million patients are involved.
• Dual-eligibles: Patients drawing from both Medicare and Medicaid represent 16-18% of enrollees, but account for 25-45% of spending. The Center is searching for demonstration projects to find more efficient care delivery.

The CMS Innovation Center, and its director Dr. Richard Gilfillan has been on a ‘Listening Tour’ across America, visiting five states and hosting an additional five regional conference calls. To date, over 4000 stakeholders have shared ideas and feedback with the Center.

To learn more, visit The Innovation Center here.

Check out some video footage including a video from Dr. Gilfillan outlining the Center at a recent Health Affairs conference.

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Douglas Naegele is President of Infield Health, a technology firm that brings patients closer to healthy outcomes via mobile technology. He lives in Washington DC.