Advocacy

Hard at Work for Our Members

As a national organization with California roots, America’s Physician Groups is hard at work in Sacramento and Washington, D.C., fighting on behalf of our members—as well as the patients and communities they serve—for a healthcare system that recognizes the value of risk-based, coordinated, and accountable care.

2021 Priorities

At APG, we are focusing on several priorities on our advocacy front in 2021: Accelerating the movement to value-based care, strengthening Medicare Advantage to drive better value, and lowering healthcare costs.

Click here to download APG’s 2021 Advocacy Priorities.

Accelerating the Movement to Value

Value-based models of care emphasize the delivery, measurement and outcomes of care as opposed to the current fee-for-service model that focuses on volume of services at the expense of cost and what is the best for patients. Innovative healthcare providers are successfully delivering improved patient care at lower costs through budget-based prospective payment models and these models must be recognized and supported.

Strengthening Medicare Advantage to Drive Better Value

An integral part of the move from volume to value is supporting Medicare Advantage (MA) and the role it plays in shifting healthcare in this direction. Providers and health plans who engage in high-value, risk-based MA contracts are working diligently to improve overall quality in the MA program and should be rewarded for those efforts.

Lowering Healthcare Costs

Lowering the costs of care for patients through drug pricing reform and encouraging movement to lower cost care settings such as home or ambulatory care is a key piece of the value-based care movement. Technology has also progressed to the point where virtual visits offer even more convenience for patients while still allowing providers to effectively treat those suffering from chronic conditions while monitoring their health and creating effective care plans for treatment.

APG Federal Comment Letters

Our Resources are available for Members. If you are an APG Member, please sign in to view all of our Resources.

Proposed and Final Rules and Regulations

Medicare Advantage 2019 Final Rate Notice and Call Letter (click here to access the final rate notice and call letter)
Medicare Advantage 2019 Part I Advance Notice – Risk Adjustment (click here to access the advance notice and draft call letter, Part I)
Medicare Advantage 2019 Part II Advance Notice – Risk Adjustment (click here to access the advance notice and draft call letter, Part II)
MACRA Final Rule 2018 | Revisions to Payment Policies Under the Physician Fee Schedule and Other Revisions to Part B for CY 2018; Medicare Shared Savings Program Requirements; and Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program (click here to access full text published in the Federal Register)
Fee Schedule Final Rule 2018 | Revisions to Payment Policies Under the Physician Fee Schedule and Other Revisions to Part B for CY 2018; Medicare Shared Savings Program Requirements; and Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program (click here to access full text published in the Federal Register)

Agency and Stakeholder Resources

CMS 2018 Open Enrollment Period Final Report
Office of Inspector General (OIG) 2017 report on the MACRA QPP
MMA Medicaid Dashboard, an online tool that tracks national and state level data, local program details, statistics, and public polling on Medicaid
OIG Report on 428 Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) Spending and Quality
APM Framework, a white paper from the HHS Health Care Payment Learning & Action Network (LAN) to track progress toward payment reform
CMS Issuer County Map of projected participation on the Health Insurance Exchanges in 2018
MedPAC 2017 Data Book, information on national health care and Medicare spending
Medicare 2017 Trustees Report

Individual Advocacy Membership: APG Advocates

In today’s tumultuous health policy climate, it is more important than ever to have strong, unyielding support for advancing risk-based, coordinated care.

The APG Advocates program gathers like-minded individuals who are passionate about getting involved in the legislative and political process to help move our nation’s healthcare delivery system in the right direction. We know (and Congress, the administration, health policy shapers, and industry stakeholders all agree) that accountable, coordinated care delivers higher-quality, lower-cost health care. Join us! Become an APG Advocate member today. For more information contact APG Director of Federal Affairs, Garrett Eberhardt

Apply to join APG Advocates