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

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.
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