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BUSINESSSharing the savings: Take it slowlyNew regulatory guidance generates buzz about the potential of physician-hospital gainsharing programs. But even proponents say to be very careful about striking such deals.By Katherine Vogt, AMNews staff. Aug. 22/29, 2005. Gainsharing -- in which physicians and hospitals agree on ways to cut costs and share in savings -- appears to be thawing from a regulatory freeze that had effectively stopped it before it could catch on. A spate of favorable opinions from regulators early this year has awakened a surge of interest in gainsharing, not only from physicians and hospitals, including the nation's largest for-profit hospital chain, HCA. The prospect that gainsharing now could withstand regulatory scrutiny has delighted those who believe that such programs hold a key to helping solve some of the dilemmas in health care delivery today. But in spite of the apparent change of heart among regulators, critics remain convinced that gainsharing could jeopardize patient care and limit physician choice by dictating what specific products or protocols must be used. And experts warn that the legal issues remain murky, with only a handful of programs approved to offer guidance. The recent commotion began in February when the Office of the Inspector General of the Dept. of Health and Human Services issued six advisory opinions essentially green-lighting programs in which hospitals partnered with cardiologists and cardiac surgeons to cut costs. Some of the programs called for participating physicians to use specific types of supplies during surgeries and others were designed to eliminate wasteful practices. Each of them outlined several initiatives that were projected to produce savings while maintaining quality of care. After one year, the savings were to be split equally between the physicians and the hospital. [...]Full text of AMNews content is available to AMA members and paid subscribers.
Copyright 2005 American Medical Association. All rights reserved.
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