CMS Innovation Center at 10 Years — Progress and Lessons Learned

Ten years ago, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (the Center) was created within the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to test innovative payment and service delivery models to transform the American health care system from one that pays for volume to one that pays for value. This highly ambitious goal was summarized in the legislation authorizing the Center to develop models that “reduce program expenditures…while preserving or enhancing the quality of care furnished to individuals.”¹ To achieve this bold goal, the Center has been given $20 billion in funding since its inception, along with the authority to waive certain Medicare and Medicaid requirements.

Since becoming the fourth director of the Center in January...