Since 2019, AHCA/NCAL has offered the Population Health Management (PHM) Summit in Washington, D.C., for those interested in learning more about PHM and managed care and looking to network with those outside their local communities. This year, Delivering Solutions 23, AHCA/NCAL’s annual convention, will be the place for those curious about PHM and who may not have had the opportunity to attend past summits in Washington, D.C. Delivering Solutions 23 will take place in Denver, Colo., on October 2-4.

“With Delivering Solutions 23 being our largest attended event, we want to ensure as many people have the chance to learn and get more actively engaged in the rapidly evolving value-based care space,” said Nisha Hammel, associate vice president of population health management at AHCA/NCAL. “By providing attendees with these unique long term care focused educational and networking opportunities, it creates opportunities for those who are thinking of entering and leading in the realm of managed care and population health.”

Education sessions will be offered Monday, October 2 through Wednesday, October 4. There will be a panel of innovative assisted living providers who will discuss their engagement in PHM, why they chose to participate in PHM, and how they chose to partner with other organizations. Other sessions to note in particular include the following:

I-SNP Journeys: Insights into Provider Paths to Participation

Special needs plans (SNPs) continue to experience rapid growth. Thirty one percent of all institutional SNPs (I-SNPs) are AHCA member provider-led in 2023. This session will feature a panel of providers who have chosen different paths to I-SNP participation, from partnering to independent builds. Hear about the factors that influenced their journeys, the what and how, and the lessons learned.

From Threat to Opportunity: The LTC-Focused ACO Model

The perception of accountable care organizations (ACOs) is steadily shifting among long term care (LTC) providers. Once viewed as entities intent on diverting Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) patients away from skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) and driving down lengths of stay, LTC owners and operators now see ACOs as a potential growth opportunity. A growing number of physician groups and “payviders” have developed LTC-focused ACO models, and they are actively courting operators to serve as partners. Highlights of the session include the strategic, financial, and operational considerations for participating in a Medicare ACO. This session will provide LTC providers with practical guidance for assessing their opportunities.

Provider-Owned Networks: Collaborate Together for Value-Based Reimbursement and Better Quality Outcomes

With the increase in market penetration of Medicare Advantage and Medicaid Managed Care, even the savviest providers are being challenged. Provider-owned networks are helping providers improve clinical outcomes and access value-based reimbursement, which has eluded LTC and post-acute care providers without the volume to do so. Under state affiliate leadership, provider members have created provider-owned networks in a growing number of states to negotiate collaboratively with managed care payers to improve outcomes and efficiencies. This session highlights participation in provider-owned networks as a strategy to improve providers’ position with managed care and the unique quality and clinically integrated capabilities each network achieves.

Resetting Expectations: Key Antitrust Considerations for Provider Networks in the Biden Era of Enhanced Antitrust Enforcement

This session will explore the evolving landscape of federal antitrust enforcement, including the recent withdrawal of some of the enforcers’ longstanding guidance, and what it means for provider networks and other approaches to PHM. The program will focus on the opportunities for network development covering post-acute and LTC services and the likely “reset” of regulatory expectations regarding provider efforts to clinically or financially integrate.

The full PHM track listing with dates and times is available on the Delivering Solutions 23 website at AHCADeliveringSolutions.org.

Natalie Visnick is senior manager of public affairs for the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living.