Today, the Alliance of Specialty Medicine shared feedback on a request for input from the Physician-Focused Payment Model Technical Advisory Committee (PTAC) on improving care delivery and integrating specialty care in population-based models of care. In its letter to the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation at the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Alliance highlighted the value of specialty medicine and how specialists are necessary in the delivery of care to Medicare beneficiaries and Medicaid recipients. The Alliance also shared the challenges specialists face in securing their place in alternative payment models (APMs). Many specialty groups have developed stand-alone and “nested” models, only to be turned away by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI), essentially blocking their participation in the APM track of the Quality Payment Program (QPP). Of note, the specialty groups urged PTAC to facilitate the public release of specialty participation data in APMs, as well as clear pathways for entry in such models. The coalition of 16 specialty organizations asked PTAC to include its recommendations in its report to the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). The letter can be accessed by clicking on the link below.
