The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has selected 73 individuals from 27 states and the District of Columbia to help advise the agency on projects for its Innovation Center.

The individuals were selected among 920 applicants, and will help with initiatives like the pioneer ACOs announced last week.

The advisors include clinicians, allied health professionals, health administrators and others.  “We’re looking to these Innovation Advisors to be our partners—we want them to discover and generate new ideas that will work and help us bring them to every corner of the United States,” said CMS Innovation Center Director Rick Gilfillan, MD.  

Each Innovation Advisor’s home organization will receive a stipend of up to $20,000.  The stipend will support an individual’s activities while serving as an Innovation Advisor. 

More information about the Innovation Advisors Program, including a fact sheet and list of participants and their home organization, can be found at http://innovations.cms.gov/initiatives/innovation-advisors/index.html.