June 4, 2020
The Soronavirus has taken a devastating toll on Americans across the country, in lives lost and economic impacts. The health care system is no different. Providers have been greatly affected as they strive to do the right thing by delaying elective surgeries; they have faced disruption in critical revenue streams, and simultaneously experienced increased costs for Personal Protective Equipment. That’s why President Trump signed legislation providing $175 billion for the health care system, in addition to $100 billion in advance and in accelerated payments to Medicare providers.
But we still need to do more to ensure that our health care system is resilient and prepared to address any crises. Under the Trump Administration, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has been doing just that by advancing innovative payment and service delivery models to help move our health care system from one that pays for volume to one that rewards providers for keeping patients healthy, improving health outcomes, and lowering costs. The need for this transformation is even greater as our country confronts not just the coronavirus but the possibility of future pandemics.
In response to the coronavirus pandemic, CMMI has initiated numerous flexibilities in its commitment to value-based care. Learn more about these flexibilities through a CMS leadership blog post and the CMS Innovation Center COVID-19 flexibilities web page.