CMS Practice Assessment Tool validity for alternative payment models.

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Primary Care
• Quality Improvement

Background:

• The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Practice Assessment Tool (PAT) is designed to evaluate practice transformation.
• Assessing the predictive validity of the PAT is crucial for understanding its utility in guiding practice improvement and alternative payment model (APM) participation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the predictive validity of the CMS Practice Assessment Tool (PAT) for alternative payment model (APM) enrollment among primary care practices.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective observational study analyzed data from 632 primary care practices between 2015 and 2019.
• Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) identified summary scores from the PAT's 27 milestones.
• Mixed-effects logistic regression assessed the association between PAT scores and APM participation.

Main Results:

• Exploratory factor analysis identified one overall score and five secondary scores from the PAT.
• A baseline overall PAT score and three secondary scores were significantly associated with increased odds of APM enrollment.
• Specific scores like 'data-driven care quality' and 'efficient care delivery' showed positive associations with APM participation.

Conclusions:

• The CMS Practice Assessment Tool (PAT) demonstrates adequate predictive validity for assessing a primary care practice's likelihood of participating in alternative payment models.
• These findings support the use of the PAT as a valuable tool for guiding practices towards value-based care initiatives.