Results of the second year of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ State Innovation Model (SIM) Initiative include lessons for medical practices as well as healthcare systems and payers.
The Model Test Year Two Annual Report (.pdf), which examined programs in Arkansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oregon and Vermont, includes the following takeaways for physician practices:
- Providers “overwhelmingly” are taking advantage of practice transformation assistance. In most cases, the support involves assistance in meeting state requirements to become a patient-centered medical home.
- Practices also are taking advantage of assistance in facilitating alternative payment methodologies, understanding quality metrics and using that understanding to identify improvement opportunities.
- SIMs promote active physician participation in new care delivery models, particularly if their practices participate in healthcare homes and individual health plans.
- Patient-centered medical homes reach up to 58 percent of the total population, depending on state programs.
- CMS researchers found “considerable room for improvement” in care coordination and care management strategies including reminding patients to schedule preventive services, following up with patients after referrals and creating links with behavioral care providers.
One of the goals for the SIM Initiative is to have a large majority of care delivered through value-based payment models, according to the report.