Specialty care has long been one of the harder pieces of accountable care to operationalize. In this episode, Coral’s Joy Chen speaks with Theresa Dreyer, CEO of the Health Care Transformation Task Force, about what CMS’s Long-term Enhanced ACO Design, or LEAD, Model could mean for ACOs and specialty groups. They discuss why specialty engagement has been challenging across payer lines, how LEAD creates more formal pathways for ACO-specialist arrangements, what different types of specialty groups may need to consider, and what it will take for these models to move from payment design to practical changes in care delivery.

In this episode of Bright Spots, Coral’s Kate Freeman speaks with Beth Blaise, MPA, Director of State Programs at Truentity Health, about how Truentity’s ANCHOR model is working to expand access to care in rural and underserved communities. The conversation explores how community pharmacies, connected health infrastructure, and coordinated care models can help address persistent gaps in chronic disease management and care access across rural areas. Beth shares how the model operates in practice, the challenges of implementing innovative rural health approaches within today’s health care system, and what models like ANCHOR could mean for the future of rural care delivery, workforce sustainability, and community-based health care access.

As accountable care models continue to evolve, organizations are increasingly being asked to engage specialists in more meaningful and coordinated ways. In this episode, Coral Health Advisor’s Joy Chen sits down with Aisha Pittman, Senior Vice President of Government Affairs at NAACOS; Dr. Erin Hurlburt, Chief Medical Officer of Population Health Services at Lumeris; and Dr. Gene Quinn, Chief Executive Officer of Envoy Integrated Health, to discuss the growing role of specialty care in value-based care and accountable care models. The conversation explores challenges and opportunities related to incentives, care accountability, data sharing, network design, and specialist alignment, along with insights from NAACOS’ new Specialty Engagement in Accountable Care Toolkit.