CMS Releases Final Revised Shared Savings Program Regulations
The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued final regulations revising requirement applicable to Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) under the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP). CMS previously issued proposed rules and a notice of rulemaking in December of 2014 which were finalized on June 9, 2015 after consideration of comments received during the comment period. The new rules are effective in August with just a few exceptions and contain some fairly significant changes in the rules that govern ACOs and applications under the MSSP.
We will be reviewing the regulations in detail and providing a comprehensive summary, so check back or grab our RSS feed.
A bullet form listing of some of the key changes in the final regulations include:
- New requirements for ACO specific contracts or contract amendments.
- Additional details on the ACO requirement to establish mechanisms for shared governance among ACO participants.
- New standards for submitting a list of ACO participants/supplier.
- Expansion of program integrity and provisions to protect beneficiaries.
- Rules regarding adjustment to benchmarks resulting from mergers or acquisitions.
- ACOs are required to maintain a dedicated webpage and are required to post certain information using CMS templates on that web page. Information that must be posted included:
- identification key clinical and administrative leaders
- identification of the types of ACO participants involved in the ACO
- quality measurement performance information
- information regarding shared savings payments and losses
- Specific requirements for ACOs to submit executed provider agreements along with their initial application and upon renewal.
- CMS authority to take action against or terminate and ACO that does not continue to meet the minimum assigned beneficiary standards.
- Rules regarding modification to benchmarks during a pending performance year.
- A prohibition on an ACO provider filling the “beneficiary representative” slot on the ACO’s governing body.
- Additional flexibility regarding the qualifications of the ACO’s medical director.
- A transitional process from the Pioneer program to the MSSP.
- Revised process for beneficiaries to elect to opt out of data sharing. Beneficiaries will only be permitted to opt out directly through CMS.
- Expansion of beneficiaries that are included in aggregate reports.
- Removal of the requirement for ACOs to provide opt-out information to beneficiaries before requesting claims data.
- Waiver of the three-day inpatient stay rule for certain nursing home admissions during Track 3.
- Several revisions to the beneficiary assignment process.
- Changes to the annual shared savings repayment mechanisms.
- Permitting a second year of Track 1 participation for certain ACOs.
- Revisions to the manner in which ACOs may select their MSR/MLR under Track 2.
- Provision for prospective assignment of beneficiaries to Track 3.
- Sharing of up to 75% of savings in Track 3.
- First year benchmarking remains unchanged.
- Revision of benchmarking methods applicable to ACOs entering their second and subsequent contract periods. Benchmarking years will be equally weighed to reflect the average per capita shared savings.
