The Trump Administration announced a new innovation initiative to increase access to high quality, affordable health care in rural America. The Community Health Access and Rural Transformation (CHART) model is designed to tie payment to value, increase choice, and lower costs to patients by leveraging innovative financial arrangements as well as operational and regulatory flexibilities.
The CHART Model will test whether upfront investments, predictable capitated payments, and operational and regulatory flexibilities will enable rural health care providers to improve access to high quality care while reducing health care costs.
Providers interested in the CHART Model have two options for participation: the Community Transformation Track and the Accountable Care Organization (ACO) Transformation Track.
The Trump Administration is investing up to $75 million to allow up to 15 rural communities to participate in the Community Transformation Track. The investment allows for the implementation of care delivery reform, provides predictable capitated payments and offers operational and regulatory flexibilities like waiving certain Medicare conditions or participation, expanded telehealth originating site locations to include patients homes, waiving cost sharing for certain Medicare Part B services, and providing support for transportation. Applications for the Community Transformation Track will be due in September, with awardees announced in early 2021 and a model start date in summer 2021.
Providers participating in the ACO Transformation Track will enter into two-sided risk arrangements as part of the Medicare Shared Savings Program. The model builds on the success of the ACO Investment Model. CMS anticipates releasing a request for applications for the ACO Transformation Track in the spring of 2021 and selecting up to 20 rural ACOs to participate in this track starting in January 2022.
To learn more visit the CHART Model Webpage.
