Under Azar and Boehler, CMMI Gets Its Groove Back

Area of Science:

• Healthcare policy
• Health economics
• Public health administration

Background:

• The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) was established by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to test innovative payment and delivery models.
• CMMI has the authority to experiment with new healthcare payment and care models.
• Recent leadership changes at HHS and CMMI may indicate a renewed focus on CMMI's mission.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the recent activity and direction of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) under new leadership.
• To identify any shifts in the pace or nature of new model development and implementation by CMMI.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative analysis of recent announcements and initiatives from CMMI.
• Review of leadership appointments and stated priorities within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) concerning CMMI.
• Monitoring of the volume and type of new payment and care models being introduced.

Main Results:

• The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) has shown increased activity in developing and launching new healthcare payment and care models.
• New leadership, appointed in April, appears to be driving a surge in CMMI's output.
• There is a notable increase in the number of experimental models being introduced by CMMI.

Conclusions:

• The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) is demonstrating renewed vigor in its mission to innovate healthcare payment and delivery.
• The current administration's focus, particularly under HHS Secretary Alex Azar and CMMI Director Adam Boehler, is leading to a significant increase in CMMI's experimental model development.