CMS will choose 400 practices for medical homes demo

Why This Topic Matters

The piece provides early operational details for a CMS demonstration that could affect practice participation, reimbursement structure, and care coordination planning. It is useful for stakeholders evaluating whether their specialty, practice setting, or patient mix aligns with a CMS pilot initiative.

Article Sections

1. Program overview and site selection

   Introduces the medical homes demonstration, its intended launch timeframe, and the number of practice sites and physicians CMS planned to involve. It also summarizes the geographic and practice-setting characteristics CMS said it wanted in participating locations.

2. Eligibility and specialty exclusions

   Describes the broad provider eligibility framework and identifies categories of specialties that were excluded from participation. The section also references the legislative history behind the demonstration.

3. Two payment amounts

   Outlines the article’s discussion of the demo’s general payment structure, including a base payment concept and a separate shared-savings component. It also describes the broad factors CMS said would influence the calculation approach.

4. Recruitment and application timeline

   Notes when CMS planned to begin recruiting practices and the application window for interested participants. The section closes with distribution and participation notes for practices and physicians.