Value in Health Care Act of 2023 Introduced

to Congress to Reinforce Value-Based Care

July 29, 2023
Briana Contreras

News Article

The Value in Health Care Act of 2023, a bipartisan legislation that would make
several important reforms to ensure alternative payment models (APMs) continue
to produce high quality care for the Medicare program and its beneficiaries, was
introduced in a letter signed by seventeen of the nation’s leading stakeholders in
healthcare.

Seventeen of the nation’s leading stakeholders in healthcare

are backing a bipartisan House bill recently introduced to
Congress that would reinforce Medicare’s move to value-based
care.

The support of the Value in Health Care Act of 2023, a

bipartisan legislation that would make several important
reforms to ensure alternative payment models (APMs) continue
to produce high quality care for the Medicare program and its
beneficiaries, was introduced in a letter signed by the
stakeholders.

This act follows the Value in Health Care Act of 2021, which was
reintroduced the same day by Reps. Darin LaHood (R-Ill.),
Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.), Brad Wenstrup, D.P.M. (R-Ohio), Earl
Blumenauer (D-Ore.), Larry Bucshon, M.D. (R-Ind.), and Kim
Schrier, M.D. (D-Wash.).

The Value Act of 2021 was created to make a series of changes

to certain methodologies and components used in the
Medicare Shared Savings Program, according to Congress. The
program was made to enable accountable care organizations
(ACOs) to receive payments for savings stemming from care
coordination and management.

The Value in Health Care Act of 2023 would make several

improvements to CMS’s value-based care programs, per one of
its 17 supporters, the National Association of ACOs (NAACOS).

In relation to the improvement of APMs — though they have

generated billions of dollars in savings and have maintained
quality of care — their growth produced an overflow on care
delivery, potentially slowing the overall rate of growth of
healthcare spending, as stated in the letter.
“A key aim of the bipartisan Medicare Access and CHIP
Reauthorization Act (MACRA) was to speed the transition to
patient-centered, value-based care by encouraging physicians
and other clinicians to transition into APMs,” the letter states.
“While MACRA was a step in the right direction, the transition
has been slower than anticipated and more needs to be done
to drive long-term system transformations. The Value in Health
Care Act helps maintain and further strengthen the movement
towards high-quality care where financial performance is linked
to the quality of patient care rather than the number of
services delivered.”

In a NAACOS release, overall, the Value Act of 2023 would:

Provide a two-year extension of the 5% advanced

alternative payment model (APMs) incentives created by
the 2015 Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act
(MACRA) that are scheduled to expire at the end of the
year.
Give CMS the authority to adjust the thresholds to secure
those incentive payments, allowing more opportunities to
bring rural, underserved, primary care or specialty practices
into APMs.
Eliminate the artificial revenue-based distinction that
disadvantages rural and safety net providers critical to
improving access to care and improving health equity.
Create a more fair, more transparent process to set
financial spending targets so that ACOs are not penalized
for their own success.
Establish a voluntary track for ACOs to take on higher
levels of risk.
Provide technical assistance for clinicians new to APMs.
Study ways to increase parity between APMs in traditional
Medicare and Medicare Advantage so both programs are
attractive and sustainable options.

NAACOS stated in the release that ACOs have generated over

$17 billion in gross savings for Medicare over the last decade
and improved the quality of care for millions of patients. More
than 13 million beneficiaries are cared for by an ACO today.

In support of ACOs and all improvements the Value Act of 2023

would generate, the remaining stakeholders behind the Act
include Accountable for Health, American Academy of Family
Physicians, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons,
American College of Physicians, American Hospital Association,
American Medical Association, America’s Essential Hospitals,
AMGA, America's Physician Groups, Association of American
Medical Colleges, Federation of American Hospitals, Healthcare
Leadership Council, Health Care Transformation Task Force,
Medical Group Management Association, National Association
of ACOs, National Rural Health Association, and Premier, Inc.
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