The American Medical Association and more than 100 state and specialty medical societies today sent a letter to Congress outlining the principles and core elements the groups believe are needed to successfully transition to a high-performing Medicare program.
In conjunction to repeal of the Medicare physician payment formula, the groups have drafted the following:
Driving principles
• Successful delivery reform is an essential foundation for transitioning to a high performing Medicare program that provides patient choice and meets the healthcare needs of a diverse patient population.
• The Medicare program must invest and support physician infrastructure that provides the platform for delivery and payment reform.
• Medicare payment updates should reflect costs of providing services as well as efforts and progress on quality improvements and managing costs.
Core elements
• Reflect the diversity of physician practices and provide opportunities for physicians to choose payment models that work for their patients, practice, specialty and region.
• Encourage incremental changes with positive incentives and rewards during a defined timetable, instead of using penalties to order abrupt changes in care delivery.
• Provide a way to measure progress and show policymakers that physicians are taking accountability for quality and costs.
The letter also outlines strategies for structuring a high-performing Medicare program.
In conjunction to repeal of the Medicare physician payment formula, the groups have drafted the following:
Driving principles
• Successful delivery reform is an essential foundation for transitioning to a high performing Medicare program that provides patient choice and meets the healthcare needs of a diverse patient population.
• The Medicare program must invest and support physician infrastructure that provides the platform for delivery and payment reform.
• Medicare payment updates should reflect costs of providing services as well as efforts and progress on quality improvements and managing costs.
Core elements
• Reflect the diversity of physician practices and provide opportunities for physicians to choose payment models that work for their patients, practice, specialty and region.
• Encourage incremental changes with positive incentives and rewards during a defined timetable, instead of using penalties to order abrupt changes in care delivery.
• Provide a way to measure progress and show policymakers that physicians are taking accountability for quality and costs.
The letter also outlines strategies for structuring a high-performing Medicare program.
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