When a model changes, people still need a next step

An announcement begins another conversation

CMS announced Innovation Center model portfolio changes (opens in a new tab) in March 2025, including plans to end selected models earlier than previously scheduled. The agency said:

“Participants should expect follow-up communication from their models”

— Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, March 2025

This was an announcement of planned changes, not evidence that every associated local service ended immediately. Projected savings were estimates, not achieved results. Each organization still needed to establish what the announced timetable meant for its own services, partners, and participants.

The practical task for leaders is to help people understand what the announcement means locally without filling gaps with assumptions.

Start with the appointment someone already has

Picture a hypothetical participant who sees a headline about a model ending and wonders whether next week’s appointment still exists.

The service may be continuing while its leadership reviews the implications. A receptionist may know the appointment is scheduled but not know how to explain the wider news.

A useful internal update equips that colleague to answer the immediate question accurately and direct the policy question to the right person. People should not have to interpret a national announcement to find out whether they should attend a planned visit.

Separate confirmed facts from working assumptions

Create a short account of what the organization has verified, which decisions are pending, and where authoritative updates will come from. Keep dates and the scope of each statement clear.

A model’s funding or evaluation arrangement may change without every underlying service changing in the same way. Qualified program, finance, and clinical leads need to examine the actual implications.

Avoid announcing a replacement arrangement before it is agreed. Reassurance is useful when it rests on something the organization can deliver. Otherwise, an honest explanation of the next review point is more dependable.

Give open questions an owner

Collect the practical questions colleagues and participants are asking. Which appointments continue? Which contact should be used? Will an existing referral still be considered?

Assign each question to someone who can obtain an authoritative answer. Do not let a list of uncertainties become a substitute for responsibility.

When an answer is not yet available, say when the organization expects to review the issue again. A review date is not a promise that the external decision will be finished; it is a commitment to check and communicate what is known.

Preserve continuity while reviewing the arrangement

Where services remain available, keep ordinary contact routes working. Staff should know how to handle outstanding messages and where to escalate a concern through the appropriate professional process.

If a service will change, plan the communication and transition with the responsible teams. Consider people who need another format, language support, or additional time to understand the information.

In our example, the participant may want a chosen supporter included in a conversation. Ask rather than assuming. A significant organizational change should not remove the person’s role in deciding how they receive information.

Notice the effect on partners and staff

Community partners may hear the same headline and make their own assumptions. Give them a reviewed explanation of what the organization can confirm and how referral questions should be routed.

Staff also need space to ask about their responsibilities. A colleague who is uncertain about the program’s future may struggle to communicate confidently even when the immediate service remains unchanged.

Make updates consistent across channels. Retire superseded notices so people are not left comparing two different accounts with no indication of which one applies.

What genus can support today

Configured genus care apps and care walls can share reviewed program updates, events, and prepared resources with the appropriate audience. Those spaces can help an organization keep a current explanation and contact route easy to find.

genus does not decide model participation, secure replacement funding, or guarantee service continuity. The responsible organization must verify the facts and maintain the underlying service arrangements.

We see the practical contribution as supporting a careful conversation during change: enough information to act, a clear route for questions, and no suggestion that an unresolved decision has already been made.

Consider how the update reaches people who are less connected to the organization’s usual channels. A notice on a website may be insufficient for someone who relies on telephone contact or a printed appointment letter.

A question before the next notice

After reading this update, will a person know what to do next—and which parts we are still working to confirm?