NAACOS Establishes Direct Contracting Taskforce

The National Association of Accountable Care Organizations (NAACOS) recently announced the formation of the Direct Contracting Taskforce, which offered tools for participation in the latest accountable care model from CMS. 

announced in April of this year, Direct Contracting is a set of three voluntary payment model options that will test new financial risk-sharing arrangements in efforts to reduce Medicare costs while maintaining or improving quality of care furnished to Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries.

 CMS expects the new opportunity to attract the attention of physician practices and other organizations because Direct Contracting is anticipated to reduce burdens and support chronic disease management efforts already underway by these providers. CMS expects the initiative to be especially attractive to ACOs that participated in the Next Generation model, which offered full downside financial risk. 

NAACOs intends for the Direct Contracting taskforce to help ACOs and other providers navigate the new and unique alternative payment models.

"As the accountable care movement grows and evolves, so too must NAACOS. We are embracing new population health-focused payment and delivery models like Direct Contracting,” Clif Gaus, ScD, NAACOS president and CEO, stated in the announcement. “Our Taskforce will help drive participation and ensure Direct Contracting will be the next in a growing line of successful accountable care models." 

The Taskforce will be led by Pam Halvorson, lead executive for operations at UnityPoint Accountable Care in Iowa, Allison Brennan, NAACOS senior vice president of government affairs, and Dave Ault, NAACOs consultant, former division director at the Innovation Center and counsel at Faegre Baker Daniels.

According to NAACOS, the Taskforce will “produce webinars and resources that analyze key details and aspects of Direct Contracting, provide advocacy to shape the model, use house key resources on a standalone webpage, hold in-person conference sessions, and provide dedicated listserve to engage with peers about the model, among other benefits.”.

On December 13th, The Taskforce held a webinar to go over the main details of the model, key considerations and implications for ACOs, and answered any questions and concerns individuals had. 

“Shared learning and collective advocacy through NAACOS and this new Taskforce should prove to be a powerful resource for Direct Contracting participants,” Halvorson said. “UnityPoint Accountable Care has been one of the most successful Next Generation ACOs and I look forward to aiding our members in considering this new Innovation Center Model.” 

In November of this year, CMS announced that requests for applications (RFA) for Medicare’s Direct Contracting Professional and Global options were open. Applicants interested in the implementation have until February 25th, 2020 to complete the application. 

NAACOS expressed its support for the risk sharing initiative following the application process’s launch.

“NAACOS is excited to see CMS demonstrating its commitment to value-based care and payment by moving forward with accountable care models like Direct Contracting, which makes providers accountable for patients’ total cost of care. NAACOS looks forward to better understanding important details of the program released today,” David Pittman, NAACOS health policy and communications advisor, said at the time.

Other physician groups have also backed the latest alternative payment model opportunity. America’s Physician Group (APG) also released a statement after CMS’ Innovation Center (CMMI) announced the opening of the Direct Contracting application process.

“This is yet another step by CMMI in affirming its commitment to ensuring that patients have access to the high-quality, accountable, and coordinated care physician groups have been providing for decades,” Don Crane, president and CEO said in the statement.

“Risk-sharing arrangements properly incentivize physicians to provide high-value, high-quality healthcare to the patients and communities they serve. We look forward to continuing to work with CMMI to put more tools in the toolbox to help physicians who are moving from volume to value,” Crane emphasized.