§ 422.4 Types of MA plans.

(a) General rule. An MA plan may be a coordinated care plan, a combination of an MA MSA plan and a contribution into an MA MSA established in accordance with § 422.262, or an MA private fee-for-service plan.

(1) A coordinated care plan. A coordinated care plan is a plan that includes a network of providers that are under contract or arrangement with the organization to deliver the benefit package approved by CMS.

(i) The network is approved by CMS to ensure that all applicable requirements are met, including access and availability, service area, and quality.

(ii) Coordinated care plans may include mechanisms to control utilization, such as referrals from a gatekeeper for an enrollee to receive services within the plan, and financial arrangements that offer incentives to providers to furnish high quality and cost-effective care.

(iii) Coordinated care plans include plans offered by any of the following:

(A) Health maintenance organizations (HMOs);

(B) Provider-sponsored organizations (PSOs), subject to paragraph (a)(1)(vi) of this section.

(C) Regional or local preferred provider organizations (PPOs) as specified in paragraph (a)(1)(v) of this section.

(D) Other network plans (except PFFS plans).

(iv) A specialized MA plan for special needs individuals (SNP) includes any type of coordinated care plan that meets CMS's SNP requirements and exclusively enrolls special needs individuals as defined by § 422.2 of this subpart. All MA plans wishing to offer a SNP will be required to be approved by the National Commission on Quality Assurance (NCQA) effective January 1, 2012. This approval process applies to existing SNPs as well as new SNPs joining the program. All SNPs must submit their model of care (MOC) to CMS for NCQA evaluation and approval as per CMS guidance.