Health Affairs February 14, 2019
The goal of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation’s (the Innovation Center’s) Oncology Care Model (OCM) is to improve care coordination, appropriateness, and access for beneficiaries undergoing chemotherapy, while reducing total costs. The OCM is an ongoing, voluntary payment demonstration implemented on July 1, 2016, among 194 US oncology provider groups and is set to continue for five years. Participating oncology practices enter into payment arrangements that include both financial and performance accountability for episodes of care initiated by chemotherapy administration and lasting for six months. The OCM involves a two-part payment mechanism. Participating practices receive a monthly care coordination fee (monthly enhanced oncology services, or MEOS) once a patient starts chemotherapy, which can support new infrastructure and resources...