The ACC recently submitted a letter to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) on May 4 requesting flexibility for Innovation Center payment models during the COVID-19 pandemic. The requests specifically focus on the voluntary Bundled Payments for Care Improvement Advanced (BPCI Advanced) program, which is the most cardiovascular-specific CMMI program to date. The second cohort of BPCI Advanced began on Jan. 1, 2020.

While CMMI has issued guidance related to other models, it has not yet issued any guidance regarding the impact of COVID-19 on this program. The ACC's letter calls for CMMI to "grant administrative flexibility similar to what has been done for the [Medicare Shared Savings Program]" and urges the Center to "find ways to encourage participants to submit data while recognizing that it may be an administrative burden to some."

In response to the letter, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) said it is seeking to support clinicians responding to the COVID-19 public health emergency "by alleviating the burden of health care providers participating in innovative payment and service delivery models." The Agency notes: "It is our hope that by exploring options to adjust specific model requirements in combination with the other efforts already underway by other federal agencies, health care providers and suppliers will be better able to direct their resources towards caring for patients, ensuring the safety of staff, and reducing the spread of transmission."

ACC's Advocacy team continues to monitor for updates and maintain open communication channels with CMS and CMMI around this topic.

Clinical Topics: COVID-19 Hub

Keywords: ACC Advocacy, Medicaid, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, U.S., Medicare, COVID-19, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2

< Back to Listings