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Direct Contracting Taskforce

As accountable care models evolve, the National Association of ACOs (NAACOS) continues to do so by embracing new population health-focused payment and delivery models in Medicare and other payers including Medicaid, Medicare Advantage and commercial health plans. The Direct Contracting Model from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (Innovation Center) builds off the successful Next Generation ACO Model, focusing on high levels of risk and reward and will be a prominent new accountable care model for Medicare. To ensure we are fully preparing providers to assess and participate in this new model, NAACOS is launching a Direct Contracting Taskforce.

This new Taskforce is being led by NAACOS staff and notable industry leaders:

Pam Halvorson
Pam is the Lead Executive of Operations for UnityPoint Accountable Care, a Next Generation Model ACO. Pam is also a leading industry expert with 30 years of experience in transforming healthcare delivery and payment and has been involved in CMS programs including the Next Generation Model and Pioneer Model.



Dave Ault
Dave serves as a consultant to NAACOS and is Counsel at Faegre Baker Daniels LLP where he advises clients on a range of issues including those related to value-based payment. Dave regularly draws on his extensive experiences at HHS and CMS, including his tenure leading the Next Generation ACO Model and working as part of the MSSP leadership team.


Allison Brennan
Allison is the Senior Vice President of Government Affairs for NAACOS. She leads the NAACOS advocacy and policy team and works to shape current and new accountable care models with a particular emphasis on Medicare models. Allison brings over ten years of experience working with healthcare payment and ACO policy.



For those not yet members of NAACOS, we are offering complimentary access to our Direct Contracting Taskforce. This grants immediate access to NAACOS resources and benefits specific to the Direct Contracting Model that will help entities understand and make decisions about this new model throughout the application process and implementation period. The access will be valid through December 31, 2020. 

Complete this form to sign up!

Direct Contracting Taskforce benefits include:
  • Webinars and resources reviewing key details of Direct Contracting
    • Listserv dedicated to discussing and asking questions about the model
    • Dedicated webpage compiling NAACOS and CMS Direct Contracting resources
    • NAACOS advocacy to continue shaping the model, which will be critical prior to the start of the first performance year in 2021
    • Discount rates for in-person NAACOS conferences and boot camps with sessions focused on Direct Contracting and other new payment models
    • Opportunities to engage with your peers evaluating the model to discuss and learn from one another
    • Hearing the perspectives of actuaries evaluating this model compared to others
    • Pose questions for NAACOS to get answered by Innovation Center staff
About NAACOS
The National Association of ACOs (NAACOS) represents more than 12 million beneficiary lives through hundreds of organizations participating in population health-focused payment and delivery models in Medicare, Medicaid, and commercial insurance. Models include the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP), Next Generation ACOs, and alternative payment models supported by a myriad of commercial health plans and Medicare Advantage. NAACOS is a member-led and member-owned nonprofit organization that works on behalf of health systems and physician provider organizations across the nation participating in population health-focused payment models to improve quality of care, outcomes, and healthcare cost efficiency.