[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 123 (Tuesday, June 26, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38066-38067]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-15541]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

[CMS-5505-N3]


Medicare Program; Announcement of a New Opportunity for 
Participation in the Advance Payment Model for Accountable Care 
Organizations (ACOs)

AGENCY: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces a new opportunity for participation in 
the Advance Payment Model for certain accountable care organizations 
participating in the Medicare Shared Savings Program scheduled to begin 
in January 2013.

DATES: Application Submission Deadline for the Advance Payment Model: 
Applications for the performance period beginning on January 1, 2013 
will be accepted from August 1, 2012 through September 19, 2012.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Maria Alexander, (410) 786-4792.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is committed to 
achieving better health for populations, better health care for 
individuals, and lower growth in expenditures through continuous 
improvement for Medicare, Medicaid, and Children's Health Insurance 
Program beneficiaries. One potential mechanism for achieving these 
goals is for CMS to partner with groups of health care providers of 
services and suppliers that have a mechanism for shared governance and 
have formed an Accountable Care Organization (ACO) through which they 
work together to coordinate care for a specified group of patients. We 
will pursue such partnerships through complementary efforts, including 
the Medicare Shared Savings Program and initiatives undertaken by the 
Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (Innovation Center).
    The Advance Payment Model is an Innovation Center initiative 
designed for participants in the Medicare Shared Savings Program in 
need of prepayment of expected shared savings to build their capacity 
to provide high quality, coordinated care and generate cost savings. 
The Advance Payment Model will test whether and how prepaying a portion 
of future shared savings could increase participation in the Medicare 
Shared Savings Program, and whether advance payments will enhance the 
ability of ACOs to effectively coordinate care and generate Medicare 
savings, as well as the speed at which they attain that goal.
    In the November 2, 2011 Federal Register (76 FR 68012), we 
published a notice entitled ``Medicare Program; Advance Payment Model'' 
that announced the testing of the Advance Payment Model for certain 
ACOs participating in the Medicare Shared Savings Program scheduled to 
begin in 2012 and provided information about the Advance Payment Model 
and the application process. In November 30, 2011 Federal Register (76 
FR 74067), we published a second notice that extended the application 
deadline for the first

[[Page 38067]]

performance period that began on April 1, 2012. We announced the 
organizations participating in the Advanced Payment Model for the first 
performance period (which began on April 1, 2012) on April 10, 2012. 
The second performance period of the Advance Payment Model will begin 
on July 1, 2012.
    Additional information about the Advance Payment Model, including 
organizations currently participating in the testing of the Model, is 
available on the Advance Payment Model Web site at http://www.innovations.cms.gov/initiatives/ACO/Advance-Payment/.

II. Provisions of the Notice

    We will be launching a third group of Advance Payment Model ACOs on 
January 1, 2013. We will accept applications as specified in the DATES 
section of this notice. We are creating this new opportunity in 
response to requests from stakeholders and potential partners who 
requested additional opportunities to partner with CMS as Advance 
Payment ACOs.
    Organizations interested in applying to the Advance Payment Model 
must also complete an application for the Shared Savings Program. 
Information about the application process and deadlines for the Shared 
Savings Program is available at http://www.cms.gov/sharedsavingsprogram. Additional information about the application 
process for the Advance Payment Model is available on the Advance 
Payment Model Web site at http://www.innovations.cms.gov/initiatives/ACO/Advance-Payment/.

    Authority:  Section 1115A of the Social Security Act.

    Dated: June 19, 2012.
Marilyn Tavenner,
Acting Administrator, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
[FR Doc. 2012-15541 Filed 6-22-12; 11:15 am]
BILLING CODE 4120-01-P