196. What is the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA)? with Margaret E. O’Kane

Margaret E. O’Kane, CEO, president and founder of the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), joins Joshua Israel, MD and Sean Cavanaugh to discuss how the organization has helped transform quality measurement in the American health care system. Over the past 35 years, O'Kane and the NCQA have developed quality measurement standards for clinicians while striving to minimize the administrative workload that comes with an expanding array of quality metrics. O’Kane advocates for a future where quality measures are better integrated into health care technology systems, emphasizing that systemic changes are crucial for improving quality, rather than solely focusing on individual physicians. Watch the full video episode

Join Josh Israel, MD, and Sean Cavanaugh, along with Brittney Anderson, MD, family physician and podcaster (“Physicians Hanging a Shingle”) and Dan Bowles, general manager of practice health at Aledade, to discuss Anderson’s journey to owning her own private practice, and how she supports other physicians seeking independence. Both Anderson and Bowles believe value-based care is crucial for independent primary care practices, and that greater exposure to independent practice models is essential to provide physicians with more employment options. As Bowles explains, this is the driving force behind Aledade’s effort to support physicians looking for information and a path to their own independent practice. Connect with us at [email protected] or visit the Aledade Newsroom

Join Josh Israel, MD and Sean Cavanaugh in their video debut as they discuss the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) results for 2024 released by CMS with Aledade CEO Farzad Mostashari, MD They explore how Aledade Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) earned more than $1 billion in total savings and continue to improve performance year over year, including substantially reducing hospitalizations. We also sit down with Sandeep Mann, MD, primary care physician and Aledade partner since 2015, to explore how his practice has thrived in value-based care. Watch the full episode Connect with us at [email protected] or visit the Aledade Newsroom

Abe Sutton, director of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI), sits down with Aledade CEO Farzad Mostashari, M.D., and Sean Cavanaugh to unpack the new strategic framework for CMMI models. Sutton explores CMMI’s focus on three pillars: promoting evidence-based prevention, improving patient access to their health data and driving choice and competition in health care markets. He discusses the recently announced WISeR (Wasteful and Inappropriate Service Reduction) Model, which aims to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) in reviewing prior-authorization requests to prevent harmful or unnecessary services. He also talks about the Ambulatory Specialty Model (ASM), which would reward specialists for improving health outcomes in Medicare patients with lower back pain or heart failure and CMS efforts to improve risk adjustment through permanent programs and testing new ideas on a smaller scale through the Innovation Center. Connect with us at [email protected] or visit the Aledade Newsroom

Join Josh Israel and Sean Cavanaugh for part two of their most recent road trip visiting primary care practices from Los Angeles to Washington D.C. First, they visited Dr. Arvinder Bir and Dr. Seema Bir, Aledade partners in California, to discuss how Aledade has helped enable their practice to reduce patient hospitalizations and remain independent. Next, they visited Varesh Chaurasia, CEO of HealthyU Clinics, and Dr. Lauren Havard, CMO, in Phoenix, Arizona to discuss what they are looking for in an accountable care organization (ACO) partner, emphasizing hands-on experience in local markets. Finally, they met with Dr. Salil Trehan in Amarillo, Texas, whose practice has previously partnered with multiple ACO enablers, to gain insights into what sets great ACO partners apart. Connect with us at [email protected] or visit the Aledade Newsroom

Aledade CEO Farzad Mostashari, M.D., and Mat Kendall, president, join Josh Israel and Sean Cavanaugh to share insights from their recent road trip to primary care practices from Los Angeles to Washington D.C. They reflect how conversations about value-based care have evolved over the past 11 years — and what organizations are trying to learn when deciding whether to join an accountable care organization and who to partner with on that journey. Join us to learn why Aledade stands out in this ever-evolving landscape. Connect with us at [email protected] or visit the Aledade Newsroom

Dr. Caroline Fife and Dr. Christopher Apostol join us to explore the rising cost of skin substitutes in wound care, which Aledade data suggests is a tenfold increase in the last three years. Dr. Fife explains that rising costs are due to an increase in both cost of the product and increased usage and she addresses the real concerns such as the way many skin substitutes are exempt from FDA review, offer rebates or discounts to clinicians and how some Medicare payment models incentivize the use of more expensive treatments. Dr. Apostol also notes how wound care has evolved through the lens of primary care, including an increase in specialist utilization and mobile wound care teams. Connect with us at [email protected] or visit the Aledade Newsroom

Dr. Amelia Bond and Dr. Dhruv Khullar join us to discuss the long-term savings of accountable care organizations (ACOs) in the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP). Their recent study in JAMA found that ACOs generate increasing savings over time, with physician-led ACOs demonstrating more significant savings. Learn about their study’s methodology, policy implications for The Centers of Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and where Dr. Bond and Dr. Khullar will focus their research next. Connect with us at [email protected] or visit the Aledade Newsroom

Natalie Davis, CEO of United States of Care, joins us to talk about the challenges of discussing value-based care with patients and policymakers. Through extensive research with over 30,000 individuals, Davis shares that the term "value-based care" often evokes negative connotations of low-quality care. When presented with the benefits of value-based care without using the term itself, people were most interested in spending more time with their doctors and receiving personalized, quality care. Join us to learn more about effectively communicating with patients and policymakers about value-based care. Connect with us at [email protected] or visit the Aledade Newsroom

A majority of those with behavioral health challenges lack access to high-quality care. Gabe Diop, co-founder of Rula, a behavioral health physician group, joins the ACO Show to discuss how Rula is making behavioral health care more accessible by partnering with primary care practices to connect patients with the care they need. Dr. Samantha Cotler, family medicine physician in Wall, N.J., explains how her partnership with Rula has improved patient outcomes and made it easier to connect patients with in-network physicians. Connect with us at [email protected] or visit the Aledade Newsroom.