Earlier this month, the ACC participated in the Health Care Payment Learning and Action Network's (LAN's) annual summit, where payers, providers, patients, manufacturers and policymakers gathered to address the transformation of health care payment and care delivery away from fee-for-service and towards value-based care. The LAN was launched in March 2015 by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to link health care payments to quality and value through the increased adoption of alternative payment models (APMs).

Discussion at the summit was focused on moving towards shared accountability models that advance cost, quality and health equity objectives. LAN Summit Co-Chair Mark McClellan, MD, PhD, revealed results from the 2019 APM Measurement Effort report, which gathered data from 77 percent of the covered population in the U.S., showed that 35.8 percent of total U.S. health care payments in 2018 were tied to APMs in LAN categories 3 and 4, and the percentage of health care payments tied to APMs have increased from 34% last year, demonstrating a trend moving towards patient and value-centered APMs.

The summit also featured a "Multi-Payer Alignment: Promising Practices for Developing Multi-Payer Models" panel where speakers like William E. Golden, MD, medical director of the Arkansas Office of Health Information Technology, explored the development of multi-payer models focused on aligning multiple payers across care elements in order to transform care delivery outcomes for patients. Various industry representatives on the panel discussed both opportunities and challenges that can occur with multi-payer alignment based on market dynamics.

A "Specialty Care and APMs" panel featuring speakers like Phil Rodgers, MD, looked at how specialists face challenges participating in APMs due to patient attribution issues and uncoordinated electronic health record systems. The summit concluded with the "Transformation Through Leadership: Multi-Payer Alignment in Transforming to Shared Accountability in North Carolina" plenary session where leading experts like Mandy K. Cohen, MD, MPH, secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, shared how the state implemented new technology innovations to strengthen public and private partnerships and increase alignment across value-based payment initiatives.

Learn more about APMs and how to implement a guided framework at ACC.org/APM.

Clinical Topics: Cardiovascular Care Team

Keywords: ACC Advocacy, Physician Executives, North Carolina, Specialization, Health Expenditures, United States Dept. of Health and Human Services

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