Physician Advisory Panel to Vote on Several Key PALTC Related Alternative Payment Models

The Physician Technical Advisory Panel (PTAC) is scheduled to vote on several alternative payment model (APM) proposals impacting the post-acute and long-term care space at its next March 26-27 meeting in Washington DC. These include:

• Patient and Caregiver Support for Serious Illness submitted by American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM)
• Advanced Care Model (ACM) Service Delivery and Advanced Alternative Payment Model submitted by Coalition to Transform Advanced Care (C-TAC)
• Intensive Care Management in Skilled Nursing Facility Alternative Payment Model submitted by Avera Health

The Society’s recently formed Practice Management Section Advisory Council reviewed these proposals and sent letters of support that are part of the public comment record.

Should these models receive approval from the PTAC, they will be sent to the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) for further action. In recent regulatory language, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has stated its desire to implement more APMs that would qualify under the Advanced Alternative Payment Option as defined by the MACRA statute. Participating in such a payment model would eliminate the need for eligible professionals to report data through the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and instead receive a five percent lump sum payment on top of the savings achieved in the model. The Society would welcome more opportunities for PALTC clinicians to participate in such Advanced APMs.

The PTAC itself was established in MACRA and is run out of the HHS Office of Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE). As such, the deliberations of the panel are public and anyone is welcome to comment on the proceedings. To register to attend in-person or via a livestream, please visit http://www.regonline.com/PTACMeetingsRegistration. To learn more about PTAC, please visit https://aspe.hhs.gov/ptac-physician-focused-payment-model-technical-advisory-committee.