CMS Releases Solicitation for Proposals for the Medicare Community-Based Care Transitions Program (CCTP) - April 19, 2011

CMS has released the solicitation and application for participation in the Affordable Care Act Medicare Community-Based Care Transitions Program (CCTP), which will provide funding for care transition services for Medicare beneficiaries at high risk for readmission. Hospitals with high readmission rates that partner with community-based organizations (CBOs) or CBOs that provide care transition services will be eligible to participate. Applications will be accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis. Acceptable applicants will be awarded on a first come, first serve basis as funding permits. The program will run for 5 years beginning April 11, 2011; however, participants will be awarded 2-year agreements that may be extended on an annual basis depending on performance and availability of funding. The solicitation, application, list of hospitals with high readmissions by state, and other CMS guidance are available on the CMS webpage.

The CCTP is part of the national patient safety initiative, the CMS Partnership for Patients. Over the next few months, the Partnership will be announcing $500 million in funding for additional CMS Innovation Center initiatives in four areas: programs to increase patient engagement, support for a “vanguard group” of advanced participants achieving more ambitious patient safety goals on an expedited time frame, creation of local learning collaboratives, and creation of a national gathering place for the work of expert organizations working to improve patient safety.