CMS Announces New Medicare Geographic Direct Contracting Model; January 1, 2022 Launch Planned

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (Innovation Center) is preparing to launch the new Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) Geographic Direct Contracting Model (Geo) in which regional organizations called direct contracting entities (DCEs) will coordinate care for all FFS beneficiaries in a region. The DCEs will be responsible for beneficiary health outcomes and the total cost of care across entire geographic regions. CMS intends to release a request for applications in January 2021, and applications will be due on April 2, 2021. Model participants will be selected by June 30, 2021. The . . .