LEAD: What doctors need to know about the new CMS payment model

LEAD: What doctors need to know about the new CMS payment model

From Moving Medicine by American Medical Association

December 19, 2025 · 20 min · Episode 261

About this episode

The episode discusses the new CMS payment model LEAD and its implications for physicians and patients.

AMA CEO John Whyte, MD, MPH, talks with Abe Sutton, JD, Director for the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) and Deputy Administrator for CMS, and Gary Bacher, JD, Chief Strategy Officer for the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) about the potential benefits and challenges of a new outcome-aligned payment model called LEAD, and what it means for physicians and patients. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 🩺 The AMA is your powerful ally, focused on addressing the issues important to you, so you can focus on what matters most — patients. We will meet this challenge together. Join us: https://ama-assn.co/JoinRenew 🥼 Go to https://ama-assn.co/FightingForDocs to learn more about our AMA advocacy priorities, including: ▹ Reforming Medicare payment ▹ Fighting scope creep ▹ Fixing prior authorization ▹ Reducing physician burnout ▹ Making technology work for physicians 📺 Subscribe to @americanmedicalassociation on YouTube: https://ama-assn.co/youTube 📧 Sign up for #MorningRounds and free daily newsletters from the AMA: https://ama-assn.co/Newsletters 💬 Follow #AMA on social media: https://ama-assn.co/Social

People in this episode

Host: John Whyte

Guests: Abe Sutton Jd, Gary Bacher Jd

Topics covered

  • CMS payment model
  • LEAD
  • Medicare
  • physicians
  • patients

Keywords

  • outcome-aligned payment model
  • CMMI
  • healthcare payment reform

Mentioned in this episode

Products: LEAD

Books & works: #MorningRounds

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