Panel 2 – What We Learned: CMMI Leaders Reflect on 15+ Years of Payment Policy

July 22, 2026
10:30 am-

11:20 am

For more than 15 years, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) has served as the country’s primary testing ground for new payment models. The results have been instructive, complicated, and sometimes surprising. Leaders who designed and ran these models sit down to talk candidly about what worked, what didn’t, what caught them off guard, and which principles should shape the next generation of payment experimentation.

Learning Goals By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

  • Identify key design principles and lessons that have emerged from more than 15 years of CMMI models.
  • Understand the structural factors that have shaped payment model outcomes and what they mean for the next generation of model design.
  • Explore emerging ideas and approaches that could accelerate and improve future payment innovation.

Speakers:

  • Moderator: Mara McDermott, J.D., Chief Executive Officer, Accountable for Health
  • Gita Deo, MPH, Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation
  • Pauline Lapin, MHS, Former Director, Seamless Care Models Group, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
  • Amy Bassano, M.A., Senior Advisor, Medicare, Health Management Associates

Speakers

Mara McDermott, J.D.

Chief Executive Officer, Accountable for Health
Mara McDermott is the Chief Executive Officer of Accountable for Health, a Washington D.C.-based advocacy organization committed to accelerating the adoption of effective accountable care. She is an accomplished healthcare executive with deep expertise in federal healthcare law and policy, including delivery system reform, physician payment and payment models.

Amy Bassano, M.A.

Managing Director, Medicare Health Management Associates
Amy Bassano, M.A., is a senior executive and nationally recognized health policy expert with more than 20 years of experience developing organizational vision and strategic plans, designing, and implementing payment systems, and driving change in the healthcare delivery system. She joins HMA as managing director of Medicare services after serving as the deputy director for the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). As senior executive at the CMMI, she oversaw the development and implementation of value-based purchasing models for both Medicare and Medicaid including accountable care organizations, bundled payment programs, and specialty initiatives in oncology, kidney care, prescription drugs, state-based models and dual eligibles. Additionally, she collaborated with states, health plans, purchasers, and international organizations to lead the national and international movement to value in healthcare. In her more than 15 years at CMS, she served in various Medicare leadership roles including as director of the Hospital and Ambulatory Policy Group. In that role she developed and implemented hospital, physician, Part B prescription drugs, clinical laboratory, and other acute care payment policies, oversaw regulatory and sub-regulatory requirements for these providers and suppliers. She also led implementation of multiple major pieces of legislation including the Affordable Care Act for the payment systems in the policy group. She previously served as director of the divisions of Practitioner Services and Ambulatory Services and in the Office of Management and Budget. Amy earned a Master of Policy Studies from John Hopkins University and a bachelor’s degree in history from Tufts University.

Gita Deo, MPH

Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation
Gita Deo is a healthcare strategist with a career spanning federal policy, healthcare administration, and consulting. She currently serves as Chief of Staff at the CMS Innovation Center and as a Senior Advisor in the Office of the Administrator for CMS, where she advances innovation in Medicare and Medicaid programs. Previously, she was an Associate Partner in Healthcare at McKinsey & Company, advising organizations on system transformation and delivery strategy. Earlier roles at Maimonides Medical Center, CareCentrix, and ARIAD Pharmaceuticals shaped her expertise. Gita holds an undergraduate degree in neuroscience from Columbia University and an M.P.H. from the Yale School of Public Health.

Pauline Lapin, MHS

Former Director, Seamless Care Models Group, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Pauline Lapin is the former Director of the Seamless Care Models Group within the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). In this capacity, she provided executive leadership for the design, implementation, and oversight of complex, nationwide payment and delivery system reforms. Her portfolio included innovative payment and delivery models focused on primary care, accountable care organizations, kidney disease, Medicare Advantage, and prescription drugs - advancing CMS’s shift toward value-based, patient-centered care. Pauline retired from federal service in April 2025 after more than 32 years of distinguished public service. Pauline holds a Master of Health Science degree from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Event Resources

Key Resources

"Three Ways CMMI Is Applying Evidence to Protect Patients, Providers and Taxpayers." Deo, G., Sutton, A. Health Affairs Forefront. November 17, 2025.
"Catalyzing Innovative Health System Transformation: An Opportunity Agenda for the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation." National Academy of Medicine. May 15, 2025.
"The Impact of Alternative Payment Models on Medicare Spending and Quality, 2012–2022." Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. January 15, 2025.
"How to Reform the CMS Innovation Center with a Choice and Competition Approach." Hammond, J. Paragon Health Institute. October 22, 2025.
"CMS Innovation Center at 10 Years — Progress and Lessons Learned; Author: Brad Smith, M.Phil"
"Elevating Quality, Outcomes, and Patient Experience Through Value-Based Care: CMS Innovation Center’s Quality Pathway; Authors: Susannah M. Bernheim, MD, MHS, Noemi Rudolph, MPH, Jacob K. Quinton, MD, MPH, Julia Driessen, PhD, Purva Rawal, PhD, and Elizabeth Fowler, PhD, JD"
"The Spillover Effect of the CMS Innovation Center; Authors: Elizabeth Fowler, PhD, JD, Purva Rawal, PhD, and Rachel Calloway, MPP, RN, CPN"

Experts

Lee Fleisher, M.D., M.L.

Former CMO & Director of CCSQ at CMS, Founding Principal, Rubrum Advising

Liz Fowler, Ph.D., J.D.

Managing Partner, Health Transformation Strategies LLC

Abe Sutton, JD

Deputy Administrator and Director, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation

Gary Bacher, J.D., MPA

Chief Strategy Officer, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

Adam Boehler

Founder and Managing Partner, Rubicon Founders

Melissa Cohen, J.D., MPA

Founder, Coral Health Advisors

Inmaculada Hernandez, PharmD, Ph.D.

Senior Advisor to the CMS Administrator for Drug Prices, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

Brittany La Couture, J.D.

Vice President, Health Policy, Applied Policy

Jacob Shiff, MBA

Chief AI and Technology Officer, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
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