February 05, 2026

NAACOS commends Congress for passing the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2026, which includes a one-year extension of the Advanced Alternative Payment Model (AAPM) incentive payments at 3.1 percent, freeze of qualifying thresholds, a two-year extension of telehealth flexibilities, and a five-year extension of the hospital at home program.

Since the AAPM incentives expired at the end of 2024, NAACOS has been working closely with congressional champions to restore AAPM incentives and lower the qualifying thresholds. This is a clear signal that Congress recognizes the impact of accountable care and the need for ongoing investment. We will be turning our attention toward crafting a sustainable, long-term approach to physician payment reform that supports the transition to high-value, patient-centered care. 

This week, NAACOS and CMS hosted listening sessions with ACOs to help CMS gain a better understanding of the costs and operational challenges ACOs face in the current MSSP quality reporting framework, with the goal of identifying opportunities to reduce burden. 

Share the contact information of your organization’s government relations or lobbyists contacts with our advocacy team. This will help NAACOS improve coordination and alignment on advocacy efforts with Congress and the administration. Thank you for your support in strengthening our collective voice. Please send a list with contact information to [email protected].

On Tuesday, Stephen Nuckolls, CEO of Coastal Carolina Health Care and NAACOS board treasurer testified at a House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee hearing on Medicare and Medicaid fraud. NAACOS continues to advocate for better coordination, a streamlined record-correction process, and protections to hold ACOs harmless for fraud beyond their control. 

While we’re encouraged that Congress continues to monitor this issue, NAACOS members are still seeing new instances of fraud, including orthosis and catheters. NAACOS is continuing to: 

On January 26, 2026, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the Calendar Year (CY) 2027 MA and Part D Advance Notice (Press Release, Fact Sheet). If finalized, the policies would result in a 0.09 percent net average payment increase – more than $700 million in MA payments to plans in CY27. When accounting for estimated risk score trends in MA driven by coding practices and population changes, CMS estimates an overall 2.54 percent average payment increase.

Ambulatory Specialty Model (ASM) is a mandatory model for specialists who treat heart failure or low back pain in Mandatory Geographic Areas (Excel file). CMS has posted the participant list of clinicians that are required to participate in the ASM. The list includes clinicians’ names, National Provider Identifiers, cohort, and the performance years for which they must meet ASM’s requirements. CMS has also posted a participant readiness roadmap outlining steps participants should take to prepare for participants. The model will begin on January 1, 2027.

Register for Southeast Regional Meeting on February 12 from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in Cary, North Carolina. Sponsored by Persivia, this one-day event will highlight engaging discussions and peer learning on topics such as: Aligning Systemwide Value-Based Care Goals with Practice Incentives, From Interoperability to Intelligence: How Lifepoint Operationalized AI Across its ACOs, Medicaid Federal Policy and North Carolina’s Unique Approach, and more. 

Join Us at an Upcoming Virtual Regional Meeting:

Regional meetings are open to NAACOS members, non-member ACOs, and value-based care providers. In-person events are $50 for members and $250 for non-members. Virtual meetings are free to attend. These events are not open to non-sponsoring business partners. Interested in presenting? We welcome submissions! Please email [email protected].

NAACOS has partnered with Wilems Resource Group to update the 2026 Compliance Manuals. Don’t miss this opportunity to stay ahead of evolving compliance requirements.

Join Kimberly Busenbark today February 5th at 2pm ET, for the REACH ACO Compliance  webinar. This interactive session will walk through key compliance expectations, highlight recent changes, and share practical insights. Register Now!

If you missed the February 3rd MSSP ACO Compliance Manual webinar, the recording can be found on the NAACOS Past Webinars page.

NAACOS members receive preferred pricing: $800 for the first year and $450 for annual renewals. If your ACO has previously purchased a subscription, upgrading to this newest version will provide additional compliance and operational insight, as well as the addition of required policies around care coordination, beneficiary engagement, internal reporting on data and analytics, marketing material requirements, and more! The new and improved Compliance Manual is available on a subscription basis that will be renewed as necessary based on the release of updated regulatory guidance, but at least every 12 months. All subscribers will receive any updates made during the subscription year. Purchase a Compliance Manual

Affinity Groups are peer-to-peer role-focused discussion groups our members can join to exchange information, ideas, and brainstorm on current issues. These groups will meet four times a year with two virtual sessions and two in-person sessions that will occur at our Spring and Fall Conferences.

Join Upcoming Virtual Affinity Groups: 

Register now for the Spring 2026 Conference at the Hilton Baltimore Inner Harbor. The main conference, taking place April 23–24, will feature insights from leading health care experts and CMS insiders, offering an in-depth look at the strategies shaping today’s health care transformation. Attendees will benefit from engaging presentations, panel discussions, and valuable networking opportunities with peers, speakers, and vendors to connect, collaborate, and share best practices.

Kick off the experience with an optional pre-conference workshop on Wednesday, April 22, from 1:00–5:00 pm. These workshops run concurrently and require separate registration from the main conference. Topics will be: 

Register early for in person or virtual to take advantage of the discounted rate, with special group rates also available for members.

Hotel accommodations are available at the NAACOS discounted rate of $249 per night, plus taxes and fees, at the Hilton Baltimore Inner Harbor. This rate is available through March 3, 2026, or until the room block is full. Additional rooms will not be added at the discounted rate, so early booking is strongly encouraged.

Reserve your tabletop exhibit space today! The exhibit program is filling quickly for the spring conference. Reserve your space today! Please note, all exhibit space is on a first come first served basis, and space is assigned in the order we receive applications.

The Sephardic Foundation will be accepting proposals to support programs and projects related to Combating Social Isolation of Older Adults. Letter of Intent (LOI) are due no later than April 23, 2026 (https://sfoa.org/prospective-grantees/). Applicant organizations must be non-profit. Select LOI applicants will be invited to submit a full application. Grant awards are expected to be announced in September 2026. For those doing or contemplating work in this area, the Institute for Accountable Care (IAC) is available to consult on developing an LOI. Please reach out to [email protected].

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