Just Published: Principles for a Framework for Alternative Payment Models


A new article describing the importance and utility of the Health Care Payment Learning and Action Network (LAN) APM Framework to measure the adoption of new payment models was recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The article follows the release of the refreshed APM Framework White Paper earlier this year and highlights three major themes in the framework’s foundational principles:

  • patient protections against perverse economic incentive
  • health care professional protections against undue risk; and
  • value-based goals for payment reform

The APM Framework White Paper refresh was developed by a multi-stakeholder Advisory Group led by the Chair of the initial APM Framework Work Group, Sam Nussbaum, M.D. (University of Southern California Shaeffer Center). It provides new and updated category definitions and clarifies foundational principles. Specifically, the refreshed Framework:

  • clarifies relationships between Advanced APMs under MACRA and categories in the LAN APM Framework (see discussion of Category 3 and Appendix A);
  • identifies opportunities for small, rural, and safety net providers to increase APM adoption (see Principles 3 and 6);
  • includes a new framework sub-category for the growing sector of integrated finance and delivery organizations (see discussion of Category 4); and
  • identifies opportunities to modify the APM Framework in ways that expedite and simplify the progress-tracking effort (see discussion of Category 2).

Incorporating these updates into the APM Framework helps ensure that the Framework remains a useful tool for measuring progress and executing strategies for payment reform. The refreshed APM Framework can be accessed by clicking here.



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