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On November 8 ,2022 CMS Innovation Center released a one-year report on the implementation of its refreshed strategic vision and objectives, which were originally announced in fall 2021. Through Innovation Center payment models, CMS is building the foundation for a health system that achieves equitable outcomes through high-quality, affordable, person-centered care.

The one-year report outlines actions taken to work toward better care for beneficiaries, through greater accountability for high-quality, person-centered care, more coordinated care, advancing health equity, increased access, and promoting transparency.

The report also provides a roadmap for how the Innovation Center will continue execution of its strategy including:

  • Announcing and launching new accountable care models that increase access to advanced, high-quality, primary care, with more focus on underserved populations,
  • Developing strategies to drive better integration of primary and specialty care to serve those with chronic or serious conditions through our models, and
  • Improving the way providers are incentivized, the way care is delivered, and the way information is distributed with individuals and across care settings.

Additionally, the one-year report includes a focus on the role of specialty care in the delivery of high-quality accountable care. Today, the Innovation Center also published a blog post outlining its strategy to support testing models and tools to improve access to high-quality, value-based specialty care in more detail.

The blog details four key areas the Innovation Center is exploring to improve access to high-quality integrated specialty care:

  • Enhance transparency in clinician performance,
  • Continued deployment of acute care episode-based payment models that align with ACOs and primary care, including mandatory models,
  • Supporting specialists to further embed in primary-care focused models, and
  • Creating incentives within population-based models to encourage specialty care integration.

For more, read the one-year report, and explore our strategic direction webpage at innovation.cms.gov/strategic-direction. To read the strategy blog, visit https://www.cms.gov/blog/cms-innovation-centers-strategy-support-person-centered-value-based-specialty-care