Back to Home

Operational Strategy & Workforce

Expert articles and analysis related to operational strategy & workforce.

200 articlesLast 30 Days

AI Summary — Last 30 Days

Synthesis:

In the past 30 days, CMS has advanced a major structural shift in value-based care with the launch of the Long-term Enhanced ACO Design (LEAD) Model, targeting a 2027–2036 timeline and introducing locked-in benchmark years, expanded capitation, and innovative specialist risk-sharing provisions that distinguish it sharply from prior models like ACO REACH and MSSP. This creates new strategic pressures for ACOs and health systems to understand risk arrangements and adapt operational strategies, especially as LEAD eliminates annual rebasing and aims for sustained accountability for population health. The LEAD application window opened, signaling CMS’s commitment to scale accountable care, deepen provider participation, and drive longer-term commitment to advanced payment models; organizations must now weigh the comparative opportunities and risks of LEAD versus MSSP as highlighted in resources like Wakely’s white paper and Aledade’s overview.

This action and the policy announcements regarding the LEAD Model were made by CMS under President Donald J. Trump's administration, with Dr. Mehmet Oz serving as CMS Administrator, following the leadership transition on January 20, 2025.

Related Articles

100ALN

First-generation physician: Navigating the first attending contract

I just signed my first attending contract. It should feel like pure celebration. Mostly, it does. But it is also a moment that forces reflection. For first-generation physicians, the hardest part of t...

kevinmd.comMar 14, 2026
100ALN

The highest-paid ophthalmologist in the 10 largest Northeastern cities

The highest-paid ophthalmologist in New York City, the most populated city in the Northeast, earns $627,800 per year, according to Medscape’s salary reporter tool.  Ophthalmologists earn an average of...

beckersasc.comMar 13, 2026
100ALN

Western New York Health System Works with CCGroup to Prepare for CMS Ambulatory Specialty Model Payment – Part 1

Western New York Health System Works with CCGroup to Prepare for CMS Ambulatory Specialty Model Payment – Part 1  Business Wire

Business WireMar 11, 2026
90ALN

Using AI and Operational Strategy to Transform Care Delivery with Dr. Salim Hayek

Using AI and Operational Strategy to Transform Care Delivery with Dr. Salim Hayek  Becker's Hospital Review

beckershospitalreview.comMar 16, 2026
90ALN

Stryker cyberattack alarms health systems

Due to a cyberattack on Stryker's Microsoft environment on Wednesday, Michigan health systems that use the company's medical devices may have taken some equipment made by the company offline, local re...

healthcareitnews.comMar 13, 2026
90ALN

CommonSpirit Health's new virtual nursing model shows ROI

Hospitals and health systems across the country are facing significant hurdles as experienced nurses step away from the bedside – leaving critical mentorship gaps and making it increasingly difficult ...

healthcareitnews.comMar 13, 2026
80ALN

Tracheostomy communication barriers: a gap in medical training

Despite an ongoing shift in medical training across the country to enhance physician communication skills, there remains limited formal training communicating with patients who have tracheostomies. Wi...

kevinmd.comMar 15, 2026
80ALN

Integrating Pharmacy Services and Preparing for Change at Michigan Medicine with Karen McConnell, PharmD

Integrating Pharmacy Services and Preparing for Change at Michigan Medicine with Karen McConnell, PharmD  Becker's Hospital Review

beckershospitalreview.comMar 14, 2026
80ALN

Provider Identity as a Strategic Growth Lever: Reducing Onboarding Friction and Unlocking Network Performance

Provider Identity as a Strategic Growth Lever: Reducing Onboarding Friction and Unlocking Network Performance  Fierce Healthcare

fiercehealthcare.comMar 14, 2026
80ALN

How NYU Langone built 1 of the nation’s fastest-growing GI divisions

When Mark Pochapin, MD, director of the division of gastroenterology at New York City-based NYU Langone Health, came to the system in 2012, the GI division was relatively small and fragmented across s...

beckersasc.comMar 13, 2026