Fact Sheets

Transforming Clinical Practice Initiative Support and Alignment Networks 2.0

Transforming Clinical Practice Initiative Support and Alignment Networks 2.0

Americans deserve a health care system that delivers the right care, at the right time, and at a cost that is reasonable and easy to understand. Such a system will result in fewer unnecessary hospital admissions and readmissions, fewer healthcare-associated infections, reduced patient harm, and will show continuous improvement in quality of care and cost efficiency.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) today launched the second round of the Support and Alignment Networks under the Transforming Clinical Practice Initiative (TCPI). This opportunity will provide up to $10 million over the next three years to leverage primary and specialist care transformation work and learning that will catalyze the adoption of Alternative Payment Models on a large scale. The Support and Alignment Networks 2.0 represents a significant enhancement to the TCPI network expertise and will help clinicians prepare for the proposed new Quality Payment Program, which CMS is implementing as part of bipartisan legislation Congress passed last year repealing the Sustainable Growth Rate.

Background
The TCPI is one of the largest federal investments uniquely designed to support clinician practices through nationwide, collaborative, and peer-based learning networks that facilitate practice transformation.

With the passage of last year’s bipartisan legislation, it is important that technical assistance, outreach, and other support provided to clinicians by TCPI Practice Transformation Networks and Support and Alignment Networks furthers implementation of the proposed Quality Payment Program and the overall goals of moving away from paying for each service a clinician provides towards a system that rewards clinicians for coordinating their patients’ care and improving the quality of care delivered.

By implementing accelerated practice transformation strategies, Support and Alignment Network 2.0 awardees will spread transformation knowledge to the entire TCPI community that helps achieves the goals of the initiative, which include:
     • Reducing total cost of care;
     • Improving the quality of care delivered; and
     • Rapidly transitioning practices through the phases of transformation in preparation for participation in and 
       alignment with Alternative Payment Models and Advanced Alternative Payment Models.

Summary
Through this initiative, the Support and Alignment Network 2.0 awardees will identify, enroll, and provide tailored technical assistance to advanced clinician practices in an effort to reduce Medicare, Medicaid, and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) program expenditures by supporting practices through the phases of transformation and enhancing the quality, efficiency, and coordination of care they deliver.

Support and Alignment Network 2.0 awardees’ activities, coaching, and technical assistance should result in the rapid transition of practices through five phases of transformation and ultimately align practices to participate in Alternative Payment Models and Advanced Alternative Payment Models. Critical to this approach is the capacity for awardees to accurately identify large numbers of clinicians and practices in advanced states of readiness through sound data analytics capabilities, to enroll them into the TCPI, to provide them with tailored technical assistance, and to align them with the most suitable Alternative Payment Model options. Further, awardees will need to customize direct technical assistance and support services which are tailored to these clinicians and practices’ needs.

CMS will award cooperative agreement funding to successful applicants that may include health care delivery systems and health care delivery plans that: 1) presently provide quality improvement support to a large number of clinicians; 2) are multi-regional or national in scope; 3) are involved in generating evidence-based guidelines for clinical practice; 4) are effectively using measurement through clinical registries and electronic health records; and 5) are committed to expanding action to improve safety and person and family engagement. Medical professional associations and specialty societies may also apply.

Competitive applications will have received signed commitments to enroll 5,000 or more eligible clinicians and their practices that are in advanced states of readiness to deliver high quality care at lower costs (e.g., transformation Phases 4 and 5) in their network.

Application Process
Applications will be accepted from eligible applicants for the cooperative agreement funding opportunity starting June 10, 2016. Applicants are encouraged, but not required, to submit a letter of intent by July 1, 2016. Letters of intent may be submitted to transformation@cms.hhs.gov. Applications are due to CMS no later than 3 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on July 11, 2016, and must be submitted via www.grants.gov. Applications received after this date will not receive consideration for the cooperative agreement funding opportunity.

CMS anticipates announcing awards in Fall 2016.

For More Information
For more information, please refer to the Transforming Clinical Practice Initiative Support and Alignment Network 2.0 Funding Opportunity Announcement found at: http://www.grants.gov/view-opportunity.html?oppId=284529.

For specific questions not answered in this fact sheet or in Funding Opportunity Announcement, please send an email to transformation@cms.hhs.gov.

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