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In early August 2020, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the Community Health Access and Rural Transformation (CHART) Model. This model aligns well with the overall momentum toward value-based payment from CMS, states, employers and health plans that has grown incrementally for several years. This particular program is targeted at reducing disparities and driving payment and delivery transformation in rural communities. The model contains two tracks – the ACO Transformation Track and the Community Transformation Track. While the ACO Transformation Track overlays advanced shared savings payments to the Medicare Shared Savings Program (see comparison table), the Community Transformation Track offers a completely new funding opportunity for community-wide transformation across multiple lines of business.
CMS intends to select up to 15 Lead Organizations for the Community Transformation Track. These Lead Organizations will need to drive a Transformation Plan that meets specific milestones and holds the community accountable. With a maximum of $5 million to disperse over a pre-implementation period and six performance periods, these organizations need to be able to leverage community infrastructure to drive results and efficiently target this funding to build community capacity and alignment. Successful applicants will be able to demonstrate an ability to achieve the goals of the program. Below are five questions applicants should consider.