Randomization Inside a Medicare Payment Model, It's Really Cool
The CMS Innovation Center’s ACCESS Model launches a ten‑year, national test of outcome‑aligned payments for technology‑enabled chronic care, offering fixed payments of $90 to $420 per beneficiary across four disease tracks. A distinctive feature is the 90:10 randomization of eligible Medicare beneficiaries, placing 10% in a control group for twelve months. Payments are contingent on meeting baseline clinical outcomes, with a 50% withhold reconciled against performance thresholds. The model aims to generate credible evidence on digital health interventions while aligning incentives with patient outcomes.
AI in the Hands of Clinicians: A Look at the Digital Stethoscope
AI‑augmented digital stethoscopes such as the Eko CORE 500 are bringing machine‑learning diagnostics to the bedside. The device records heart sounds, a three‑lead ECG and runs cloud‑based algorithms that flag atrial fibrillation, murmurs and reduced left‑ventricular ejection fraction, with studies reporting...
The CMS ACCESS Model Update and Payment Rates
The episode breaks down CMS’s new ACCESS Model, which replaces fee‑for‑service chronic care payments with a per‑beneficiary Outcome‑Aligned Payment (OAP) that is partly withheld until specific clinical and patient‑reported outcomes are met. It explains the four clinical tracks—early and advanced...
Beyond the AI Hype in Health Care Services
The episode cuts through the hype surrounding AI in health care, focusing on real‑world evidence from three recent studies of large language models (LLMs). It highlights that LLMs can improve structured tasks like medication safety when used as a co‑pilot...
The U.S. Poison Center Network
The episode explores the U.S. Poison Control Center Network, tracing its history from the first center in 1953 to the modern system of 53 accredited centers serving all states. It highlights a new RAND study that quantifies the network’s value...