News Roundup September 18th, 2020
With the fires raging up and down the West Coast and health providers continuing to deliver care at unprecedented rates the CMS is actively providing necessary updates so that the 61.7 million enrollees of Medicare are well taken care of when health concerns arise. In a recent news release, the CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) issued a roadmap for states to “advance the adoption of value-based care strategies across their healthcare systems and align provider incentives across payers.”
CMS.gov reports:
“CMS has made a strong commitment to advancing value-based care in Medicare for its 61.7 million enrollees. This guidance is designed, with the understanding that many of the providers overlap, to ensure that this same commitment can be made at the state level through Medicaid with its nearly 74 million beneficiaries by aligning strategies and common understanding of effective approaches. While these programs serve different populations, they share common goals of lower costs and improved health outcomes, and reduce burden if payers are aligned with value-based care.”
Additionally, in addressing national environmental emergencies around the country, CMS also vocalized support for those in need in Oregon as the wildfires of the last few weeks have ravaged communities in a growing health and safety concern.
More here:
“CMS is working to ensure hospitals and other facilities can continue operations and provide access to care despite the effects of the wildfires. CMS provided numerous waivers to health care providers during the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic to meet the needs of beneficiaries and providers. These waivers will continue to be available to health care providers to use for the duration of the COVID-19 PHE and for the wildfires PHEs. CMS will be waiving certain Medicare, Medicaid, and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) requirements; creating special enrollment opportunities for individuals to access healthcare quickly; and taking steps to ensure dialysis patients obtain critical life-saving services.”
In news relating to technology, to further accelerate the trend in innovating health care delivery, New Orleans health care startup Ready “an on-demand health care startup that delivers home- and community-based services, has raised $54 million in Series C funding.”
Home Health Care News reports:
“As part of its business model, the New Orleans-based Ready deploys “Ready Responders” — who are trained as EMTs, paramedics and nurses — to patients’ homes. All responders are connected to Ready’s platform through their phones and are also equipped with iPads, as well as various testing and monitoring equipment.
[…]Telehealth can generally account for around 30% of what takes place during a traditional trip to the doctor’s office, according to Dangel. Ready aims to be the bridge that closes that gap to provide a doctor’s office-type visit in the home.“
