CMS Wants To Expand Value-Based Payment Models Beyond Medicare
CMS Administrator Seema Verma said the agency will develop templates that states can use to implement similar pay models in their own programs. "Not every provider is comfortable taking full risk, but we can still figure out ways to create incentives for providers to deliver outcomes of low cost and high quality," she said.
Modern Healthcare:
Medicare May Extend Value-Based Pay Models To Other Insurers
CMS Administrator Seema Verma on Tuesday said the agency is exploring ways to apply its value-based payment models beyond Medicare and encourage more providers to buy in to the programs. Currently, only 14% of Medicare providers participate in value-based arrangements, Verma said at the CMS Quality Conference in Baltimore. But the agency hopes its new cadre of models will change that. (King, 1/29)
In other industry news —
Bloomberg:
CVS Dangles Apple Watch As Lure To Keep Eye On Customers' Health
CVS Health Corp. has a new deal for its customers: In return for letting the company keep track of their activity, send them notices about refilling prescriptions and remind them to stay healthy, they might just earn an Apple watch. The partnership with Apple Inc. is a part of the drugstore, pharmacy-benefits and insurance conglomerate’s effort to keep a closer eye on its customers, managing their health while making sure they keep using CVS’s services. For Apple, it’s a way to add new functions and customers for the popular wristwatch as the tech company touts its potential as a wellness tool. (Armstrong, 1/29)
