CMS Launches Innovations Center and Announces New York's Inclusion in an Eight-State Medical Home Demonstration

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the opening of its new Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovations and the launch of demonstration projects, one of which will include New York State.

The CMS Innovations Center was created by the Affordable Care Act in hopes to jump start innovation in health care payment and delivery reform through the promotion of quality and coordinated care. The permanent center will be guided by a diverse stakeholder group consisting of members from a broad range of the health care marketplace that includes hospitals, physicians, consumers, payers, states, employers, advocates, and other federal agencies.

In short, the Innovation Center seeks to promote better care for individuals, develop models to coordinate care to improve health outcomes, and create community care models. In addition to these specific focuses of the Innovation Center, CMS also announced the launch of three care coordination projects: Expansion of the Multi-Payer Advanced Primary Care Practice Demonstration (in which New York will participate), the Federally Qualified Health Center Advanced Primary Care Practice Demonstration, and the launch of the Medicaid Health Home State Plan Option. There will be an additional $1 million in grants provided to states for demonstration projects they design.

To learn more about the CMS Innovations Center visit http://www.innovations.cms.gov/