Mental Health Advocates’ Response To CMMI RFI Re: Medicare Program; Medicare Shared Savings Program; Accountable Care Organizations–Pathways to Success

The document is a letter submitted to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on On October 16, 2018, by a group of eight behavioral health advocacy organizations. The organizations submitted its comments response to the proposed rule “Pathways to Success” to overhaul the ACO program. The organizations recommended that Medicare ensure that accountable care organizations (ACOs) have the capacity to address beneficiary mental health problems, addiction disorder, and suicide risk. Based on ACO performance on the sole behavioral health beneficiary-reported performance measure, Depression Remission at 12 Months, ACOs may have widespread gaps in post-screening follow-up. Among . . .