.svg?rev=a492cc1069df46bdab38f8cb66573f1c&hash=2617C9FE8A7B0BD1C43269B5D5ED9AE2)
The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) has released an $840 million funding opportunity that seeks to help 150,000 clinicians achieve the three-pronged goal of the Triple Aim: better care, improved health outcomes and lower costs.
Dubbed the Transforming Clinical Practice Initiative (TCPI), the opportunity has two main prongs: mega groups of clinician practices dubbed Practice Transformation Networks (PTNs) and medical society and related developers of best practices known as Support and Alignment Networks (SANs). About 80 percent or $670 million will be set aside for the PTNs with $30 million for the SANs and the remainder for quality improvement organizations and project evaluation.
Four-year awards for the PTNs will range from $2 million to $50 million, and CMMI anticipates awarding funds to support up to 35 networks. Examples of entities eligible to serve as PTNs are hospitals and health systems; regional extension centers, which help drive implementation of Health Information Technology (HIT); large group practices; regional- or state-based collaboratives; and quality improvement organizations (QIOs).
PTNs will be responsible for recruiting physician practices and driving practice transformation by providing coaching and technical assistance, measuring and evaluating performance, and facilitating partnerships between practices. Emphasis will be applied to the recruitment of practices in medically underserved or rural areas, areas with a shortage of health care professionals, and on practices with nine or fewer clinicians. Eligible clinicians will include primary and specialty care physicians as well as nurse practitioners, physician assistants and clinical pharmacists.
The four-year program will run from May 2015 through April 2019, but practices will need to demonstrate performance against goals to receive funding for years two through four. By the end of the performance period, CMS hopes to see at least 75 percent of participating clinicians move on to participate in other value-driven care programs.
For the SANs, CMMI will seek up to 30 networks with four-year budgets ranging from $1 million to $3 million. SANs will likely consist of medical associations and societies and organizations that develop practice guidelines or promote the use of technology to measure and improve clinical performance. Applicants can be either a PTN or an SAN but cannot serve as both.
A non-binding option letter of intent will be due November 20, 2014, with full applications due January 6, 2015, and awards anticipated to be announced in early April. CMMI will be running webinars in November to provide additional information on the program. Solicitations for both the PTNs and SANs as well as other information on the TCPI are available on the Innovation Center Website.
Interest in previous Innovation Center programs, notably the two rounds of Health Care Innovation Awards (HCIAs), has been high. While the TCPI is more narrowly focused, one can expect this solicitation to generate interest, particularly among health networks and others already engaged in practice transformation.
