PTAC Update: Preliminary Review Team Reports Released for Sept. 7-8, 2017, Public Meeting

The Physician-Focused Payment Model Technical Advisory Committee (PTAC) released preliminary review team reports on the following proposals:

• Hospital at Home Plus (HaH Plus) Provider-Focused Payment Model submitted by the Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai
• Advanced Care Model (ACM) Service Delivery and Advanced Alternative Payment Model (APM) submitted by the Coalition to Transform Advanced Care (C-TAC)
• Oncology Bundled Payment Program Using CNA-Guided Care submitted by Hackensack Meridian Health and Cota, Inc.

These proposals will be discussed and open for public comment at a PTAC public meeting scheduled for September 7-8, 2017. This will be followed by a vote by PTAC.

PTAC Preliminary Reports

PTAC assigns a preliminary review committee to each proposal. This team of reviewers assesses each proposal based on the ten criteria included in the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA). The chart below summarizes findings from the recently released preliminary review team reports.

Unlike the first batch of preliminary reports released last spring which included final recommendation from reviewers, these did not. The reports did include summary comments from reviewers that provided some insight into the conclusions reached by reviewers. Excerpts from these summary comments are below.

Excerpts from Summary Comments

•  HaH Plus: “The HaH-Plus model holds promise. While the PRT finds that stronger safeguards for patient safety and incentives for quality are needed, it believes that the shortcomings within the currently proposed model (discussed above) can be addressed with simple modifications.”
•  ACM Service Delivery and Advanced Alternative Payment Model: “While the PRT has serious concerns as noted below, we generally found that the incentives of the payment methodology specified in the proposal, including a shared savings and risk sharing incentive for providers, are congruent with the model’s coordinated-care objectives.”
•  Oncology Bundled Payment Program: “As noted earlier, the PRT was impressed by the precision offered by the HMH-Cota model, particularly as compared to the relative imprecision of CMS’ Oncology Care Model already in the field. However, for PTAC to recommend the model for implementation, several issues will need to be addressed.”

PTAC Meeting Agenda

September 7-8, 2017 Public Meeting

Meeting registration is available here.

Meeting agenda is available here.

Established by the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA), PTAC is tasked with providing comments and recommendations to CMS on physician payment models. The Committee includes 11 members who are nationally recognized for their expertise in physician-focused payment models and related delivery of care. More information on PTAC is available on their website.

McDermottPlus PTAC Proposal Tracker is available here.

McDermottPlus presentation on the PTAC proposal process is available here.

For more information visit the McDermottPlus MACRA Resource Center or contact Sheila Madhani at 202-204-1459,smadhani@mcdermottplus.com.