GOVERNMENTMedicare group practice demo aims for better patient outcomesCMS will spend five years testing new Medicare payment structures proposed by selected practices. Doctors could gain financially, too.By David Glendinning, amednews staff. Sept. 26, 2005. Washington -- Physician group practices that have said they can do a better job designing how Medicare pays for health care than the federal government could get the chance to try to prove themselves right. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is soliciting proposals from practices and integrated delivery systems for the upcoming Medicare health care quality demonstration. The five-year experiment, which Congress authorized in its 2003 reform law, seeks to test new types of payment systems that could lead to better outcomes for a targeted group of patients. By providing financial incentives for doctors and other health professionals to do the right thing when it comes to providing the best evidence-based care, practices can help bring about much-needed overhauls of entire health systems, said CMS Administrator Mark McClellan, MD, PhD. "This is a major initiative to use innovative payments to improve health and reduce costs for everyone in an area, not just for Medicare beneficiaries but for all Americans," he said. "We are allowing providers and communities to take advantage of Medicare payment reforms to redesign care delivery from the ground up, where they have the opportunity to structure that care and payment in a way that focuses on outcomes." As to what form these quality payment proposals take, the agency is leaving that up to the groups who apply to participate in the demonstration. But in its written solicitation to Medicare participants, CMS suggested several alternative payment models that applicants could consider. [...]Full text of American Medical News content is available to AMA members and paid subscribers.
Copyright 2005 American Medical Association. All rights reserved.
|
Feature articlesHealth reform review The Massachusetts experience Litigation stress Being sued is personal as well as professional Comprehensive coverage
Most-viewedNov. 23 issueAMA meeting: Delegate vote refines AMA stance on system reform Liability premiums stay stable, but insurers warn this might not last Columns and series
From the vault: 5 years agoState tort reform ballot wins set stage for further battles Nov. 22, 2004 
|
SHARE
