Statement by Mary R. Grealy, President, Healthcare Leadership Council on Release of CMMI White Paper Detailing Vision for Next Decade

The details contained in the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation’s (CMMI) white paper, “Driving Health System Transformation – A Strategy for the CMS Innovation Center’s Second Decade” generates optimism over what CMMI can accomplish in the years ahead to advance healthcare quality and patient-centered health system modernization.

We applaud CMMI director Elizabeth Fowler and her team for devoting the time to engage healthcare stakeholders in constructing a vision for the Center’s second decade. Many healthcare leaders have maintained that CMMI’s effectiveness in recent years has been constrained by a lack of transparency, data sharing, and communication and collaboration with providers, patients and other organizations eager to support health system innovation.

It is extremely encouraging that the CMS and CMMI leadership, in presenting this vision, have emphasized the importance of partnership and collaboration, including the data sharing that is essential in evaluating the efficacy of models being tested and in enabling providers to maintain high-quality patient care while demonstration projects are ongoing.

We are supportive, as well, of other objectives outlined in this vision including the importance of incorporating health equity in new payment and delivery models and eliminating unnecessary complexities and administrative burdens that can discourage provider participation.

We look forwarding to working with CMMI leadership as this vision is translated into real-time policies and practices. The document released today is a very promising start.

For Immediate Release
October 20, 2021
Contact: Kelly Fernandez 202-449-3452