The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a series of cross-cutting initiatives (CCIs) on April 13 to support its six strategic pillars — advance equity, expand access, engage partners, drive innovation, protect programs, and foster excellence — released last year.
Among other goals, the CCIs aim to elevate stakeholder voices through active engagement, increase and enhance access to equitable and high-quality behavioral health services, promote drug pricing affordability, improve maternity care access and quality, expand access to health plan coverage and benefits, increase care and quality in rural areas, increase reliance of data in decision making, improve care in nursing homes, promote choice of long-term care facilities, and prepare the health system for transition out of the public health emergency with a focus on maintaining coverage.
The initiatives also include a plan to create a national quality strategy to improve overall care in a “person-centric approach to quality and safety.” In addition, the CMS plans to integrate Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and the Marketplace to improve continuity of care. In order to ensure success of the CCIs, the CMS stated that it will focus on recruiting and retaining talent, engaging stakeholders, and fostering a positive work culture.