On February 5, 2014, the Improving Healthcare Systems (IHS) program at the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) plans to release a targeted funding announcement soliciting applications to research the comparative effectiveness of transitional care services. Specifically, PCORI is seeking applications for research to determine which transitional care service clusters work best for patient populations at risk in various healthcare delivery and payment contexts by improving patient-centered outcomes and optimizing utilization rates.

Today, Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR), Johnny Isakson (R-GA) and Representatives Erik Paulsen (R-MN) and Peter Welch (D-VT) introduced legislation that would expand the use of interdisciplinary health teams to improve care coordination for beneficiaries with multiple chronic conditions. The Better Care, Lower Cost Act encourages specialized team-based care, including case management services, with rewards for improving patient’s outcomes and use of telemedicine and knowledge networks to increase access in rural areas. Specifically, the bill creates the “Better Care Program,” allowing health plans and groups of providers to form “Better Care Plans” or “Better Care Practices,” (BCPs). This program would be voluntary and open to Medicare enrollees suffering with chronic illnesses. Participating plans and practices would receive newly calculated risk-adjusted, capitated payments rewarding better health outcomes for enrolled beneficiaries.

The National Transitions of Care Coalition (NTOCC), an organization dedicated to improving patient transitions throughout the healthcare system, is proud to announce the addition of a new member to its Partners Council. Curaspan - a leading provider of patient-transition solutions that enable healthcare providers to connect, collaborate, and optimize value during all stages of the transition of care process - is the latest member to be added to the rapidly expanding council.

Yesterday evening, House and Senate appropriations negotiators unveiled a $1.1 trillion omnibus spending package to fund federal agencies for the rest of the fiscal year. The measure, which encapsulates all 12 of the annual appropriations measures for federal departments, results in a 2.6 percent increase in discretionary spending from the $986.3 billion sequester-set level of Fiscal Year (FY) 2013. Prior to the proposed measure, spending had been set to fall again to $967 billion under the sequester, but the plan adheres to the new caps on defense spending ($520.5 billion) and domestic discretionary spending ($491.8 billion) set under last month’s House-Senate budget deal.