HHS plans to shift half of Medicare provider payments to alternative payment models by 2018. These alternative models would be linked with quality and value. But is this goal as radical as it seems?
Value-based care could be fee-for-service masquerading under a different name, according to a Forbes report. The report points out that value is not measured by those who experience it (patients), but is rather defined by payers.
Forbes also points out that the timeline for presenting value is relatively short. Particularly for primary care physician and specialists that manage chronic disease, care plans can be complex and long. Benefits may not begin to emerge for years.
The article's author advocates for a fundamental shift in provider incentives, lest value-based care backslide to fee-for-service by another name.