HHS Secretary Azar Underscores Need for Serious Illness Payment Demonstration

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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar acknowledged in a recent letter the need for a payment demonstration for the serious illness population.

Secretary Azar was responding to recent recommendations from the Physician-focused Payment Technical Advisory Committee (PTAC) regarding several payment model proposals submitted by stakeholder groups, including proposals by three John A. Hartford Foundation grantees:

“I am particularly interested in the two serious illness models submitted by the Coalition to Transform Advanced Care (C-TAC) and the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM),” wrote Azar. "We agree with PTAC that a payment model that establishes incentives to provide optimal care for seriously ill beneficiaries should be tested by CMS, and Innovation Center staff have met with submitters and other stakeholders about both proposed models. While it is unlikely that all of the features of any proposed model would be tested as proposed, HHS is clearly benefitting from PTAC's comments and recommendations as we explore designing a future payment model for seriously ill beneficiaries."


To read the letter, click here.
To read C-TAC's blog about Secretary Azar's letter, click here.