In a quietly posted update on its website, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced that it will not implement a Medicare-alone medical home demonstration program, as authorized by the Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006 and the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008.
Here is the text of the update:
4/14/2011 – CMS is currently testing the patient-centered medical home model in the Multi-payer Advanced Primary Care Practice Demonstration and the Federally Qualified Health Centers Advanced Primary Care Practice Demonstration. CMS also plans to test the patient-centered medical home model under the Innovation Center created by Section 3021 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which provides CMS with an opportunity to test a variety of models and expand their implementation nationwide if they reduce spending without reducing quality or improve quality without increasing spending, and if the CMS Chief Actuary certifies that their expansion would be budget neutral, and if the Secretary determines that such an expansion would not result in denying or limiting coverage or the provision of benefits. Therefore, CMS plans not to pursue implementation of the Medicare Medical Home Demonstration specified in section 204 of the Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006 as modified by section 133(a)(2) of the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008.
Updated information about the Multi-Payer Advanced Primary Care Initiative, including participation in the proposed Medicare accountable care organizations, is available on the CMS website.
However, there is still no updated information available about the Federally Qualified Health Centers Advanced Primary Care Practice Demonstration.
Ignatius Bau 