A Blog is a short post written by C-TAC or its friends that updates the membership on relevant topics.
C-TAC, the Hospice and Palliative Care Association of New York State (HPCANYS), C-TAC Innovations, and TFA Analytics recently launched a project to improve access to high-quality care for people with serious illness while also improving health equity for the medically underserved, low income, and minority populations in New York State. The project includes developing a comprehensive set of payment and…
Medicare Advantage (MA) is the growing public/private form of Medicare that now over half of Medicare beneficiaries are enrolled in. The quality of MA programs is rated using Star Ratings, with 1 being the lowest score and 5 the highest. MA plan payment is tied to Star Rating performance, so plans have a strong incentive to aim for high Star…
C-TAC regularly monitors and comments on federal regulations as part of our ongoing dialogue with the Biden Administration on behalf of those living with serious illness. This is a mechanism to help shape Medicare programs and measures on their behalf. Throughout the year, there are various comment opportunities including the ability to comment on proposed regulations, Requests for Information (RFIs),…
C-TAC recently submitted a comment letter to CMS on the Advance Notice of Methodological Changes for CY 2025 for Medicare Advantage (MA) Capitation Rates and Part C and Part D Payment Policies. Here are C-TAC’s comments on pertinent measures in the proposed Advance Notice: Changes to Existing Star Ratings Measures for the 2025 Measurement Year and Beyond Cross-cutting: Gender-Affirming Quality…
C-TAC acknowledges CMMI’s recent decision to end testing of the Hospice Benefit Component of the Value-Based Insurance Design (VBID) Model. There were executional reasons for payers and providers to do so and we will continue to work with the agency, providers, payers, and policy makers on ways to improve care of those with serious illness and their families using our…
More than 20% of Americans serve as caregivers, representing all socioeconomic backgrounds, ethnicities, religions, and ages. Caregivers experience disproportionate physical, mental, and financial strain as a result of their caregiving responsibilities and have historically been under-represented and underserved in federal policy and program design. Everyone will need some level of caregiving during their lifetime, but none more than individuals with…
C-TAC’s Vice President of Community Action and Policy, Marisette Hasan, will be recognized for excellence in nursing practice and commitment to the nursing profession by Palmetto Gold at their annual gala on April 27 in Columbia, SC. Each year, nurses are selected for Palmetto Gold through a nomination and selection process that includes nurses from across South Carolina in a…
C-TAC’s Senior Regulatory Advisor, Dr. Marian Grant, co-authored a recent Journal of the American Geriatrics Society article on how the new Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) GUIDE Dementia care model is actually a serious illness model. The GUIDE model is the first CMMI model to address all 11 of CTAC’s principles for models for serious illness care. The…
Nothing gets done in Washington, right? Well…in a year when Congress had the fewest bills passed, ever, and polarization seemed at its highest, it was a breakthrough year for C-TAC’s policy advocacy. The public policy wins in this recap of 2023 will have an immediate impact for patients, caregivers, and their care teams in 2024. We couldn’t have done it…
The passage of the Affordable Care Act in 2010 brought with it sweeping changes to American health care. Healthcare exchanges, Medicaid expansion, and nondiscrimination for preexisting conditions are only a few of the new policies that signaled a new chapter in American health care. Among those changes were policies regarding pediatric concurrent care. Under Section 2302 of the Affordable…
Election years can sometimes lead Members of Congress to focus on winning votes at home and avoiding tough votes in the nation’s capital or delaying action until after the election what should be addressed today. Getting major policy changes through Congress can be challenging even in good times, but there may still be opportunities for small but important bipartisan victories…
In the January 2024 issue of the Journal of Palliative Medicine, leadership from Blue Shield of CA and researchers from West Health Research Institute found that home-based palliative care delivered to people not yet eligible for hospice, reduced hospitalizations, increased length of life, and extended the continuum of care delivered at home for people with serious illness and their caregivers….