New MACRA Rule to Be a Highlight of ACO Coalition Meeting

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEOctober 14, 2016

PLAINSBORO, N.J.—Next week’s meeting of the ACO & Emerging Healthcare Delivery Coalition, an initiative of The American Journal of Managed Care, will feature sessions to help payers and providers understand the Medicare Access & CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA), the new payment structure for Medicare whose rule became final today.

Mark McClellan, MD, PhD, director of the Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy, will give the keynote address, “Reforming Medicare.” A session specifically on MACRA will feature James M. Daniel Jr., of HDJN; followed by a panel with Daniel, Travis Broome, MPH, MBA, of Aledade, Inc.; Kate Goodrich, MD, MHS, of the Center for Clinical Standards and Quality at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS); and Katherine A. Schneider, MD, MPhil, FAAFP, president and CEO of the Delaware Valley Accountable Care Organization.

The conference will take place October 20-21, 2016, at the Philadelphia Westin. For registration and information, click here. Press who wish to attend MUST CONTACT Nicole Beagin at (609) 716-7777 x 131 no later than noon Wednesday, October 19, 2016.

MACRA, passed in 2015, replaced the former sustainable growth rate formula, which was widely recognized as failed mechanism for reimbursing doctors in Medicare. But MACRA will bring its own challenges, as doctors accustomed to a fee-for-service system will have to select value-based payment models that best fit their practices. Today’s final rule reflects comments from physician groups on the need to give the nation’s doctors, especially those in small and rural practices, time to adapt.

McClellan, who served as both administrator of CMS and commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration under former President George W. Bush, will cover the challenges and potential solutions for meeting the needs of the aging baby boomer generation. In his federal posts, he oversaw the creation of Medicare Part D, which added the prescription drug benefit to the nation’s healthcare system for seniors.

For a full list of speakers and the agenda for the meeting, click here.

About the Journals and AJMC.com

The American Journal of Managed Care is the leading peer-reviewed journal dedicated to issues in managed care. AJMC.com distributes healthcare news to leading stakeholders across a variety of platforms. Other titles in the franchise include The American Journal of Accountable Care, which publishes research and commentary on innovative healthcare delivery models facilitated by the 2010 Affordable Care Act. AJMC’s Evidence-Based series brings together stakeholder views from payers, providers, policymakers and pharmaceutical leaders in oncology and diabetes management. To order reprints of articles appearing in AJMC publications, please call (609) 716-7777, x 131.

About the ACO Coalition

As ACOs and other emerging delivery and payment models evolve and move away from traditional fee-for-service system models toward cost-effective and value-based care, the need to understand how these models will evolve is critical to building long-term strategic solutions. The mission of the ACO Coalition is to bring together a diverse group of key stakeholders, including ACO providers and leaders, payers, IDNs, retail and specialty pharmacy, academia, national quality organizations, patient advocacy, employers and pharmaceutical manufacturers to work collaboratively to build value and improve the quality and overall outcomes of patient care. Coalition members share ideas and best practices through live meetings, Web-based interactive sessions and conference calls. Distinguishing features are the Coalition’s access to leading experts and its small workshops that allow creative problem-solving. To learn more, click here.

CONTACT:

Nicole Beagin: (732) 604-1974

nbeagin@ajmc.com

www.ajmc.com