The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently held its New York City Innovation Day, a regional event that highlighted local projects and programs to improve health outcomes while decreasing health care costs and avoidable utilization.
Representatives from the US Department of Health and Human Services discussed their priorities, including the transformation to value-based care and addressing the opioid crisis. CMS Innovation Center Deputy Director Arrah Tabe-Bedward discussed current and upcoming projects that address these priorities, including the recently announced Primary Cares Initiative and the Accountable Health Communities model, which requires social needs screening and partnerships with community-based organizations that provide social services.
Several presentations detailed New York initiatives that address CMS priorities. New York State Department of Health Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment (DSRIP) Program Director Peggy Chan discussed the DSRIP’s successes to date. Jamaica Hospital Medical Center representatives presented on a comprehensive care management project conducted as part of their DSRIP participation, which reduced avoidable admissions for a cohort of complex patients by more than 70%. The Staten Island performing provider system also discussed its innovative partnership with local law enforcement and the Staten Island District Attorney, which was part of a broader initiative that decreased opioid overdoses in the region.
Social determinants of health was a recurring theme. Presenters underscored the importance of addressing patients’ social needs that impact health outcomes, particularly as they enter into value-based payment models that incentivize reduced avoidable hospitalizations and other quality and utilization measures.