Health Care Attorneys Author Law360 Article on Future of Value-Based Health Care

In The News
October 5, 2017
Attorneys:
Thomas N. Bulleit
,
Jessica M. Band

Washington, D.C.-based health care partner Tom Bulleit and associate Jessica Band authored an Oct. 4 Law360 Expert Analysis article on the future of value-based health care.

The authors explain that before U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Tom Price recently resigned, his skepticism about many aspects of the mandatory bundled payment programs initiated by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in the Obama administration had led to considerable speculation about the future of other CMMI value-based health care (VBHC) initiatives.

The article summarizes key actions taken by CMMI under Secretary Price to delay, limit, and/or ultimately cancel several such programs, such as the Comprehensive Joint Replacement program. It also includes a table describing CMMI’s main value-based health care programs and their current status.

In the wake of Secretary Price’s resignation, the authors also discuss potential futures for VBHC. They point to several private sector initiatives in concluding that it likely is here to stay, and they end by speculating that new leadership at HHS might even view existing or previously-planned VBHC programs less unfavorably than did Price.