Federal lawmakers have introduced legislation that would link Medicare payments to outcomes for providers treating beneficiaries with multiple chronic conditions.
Sens. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) and Reps. Erik Paulsen (R-Minn.) and Peter Welch (D-Vt.) have introduced the Better Care, Lower Cost Act with the aim of improving care coordination for Medicare beneficiaries with multiple chronic conditions, who constitute the most expensive segment of the program's population, according to a news release. According to CMS, the 68 percent of beneficiaries with multiple chronic illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease account for 93 percent of Medicare spending.
The bill would create the "Better Care Program," which would allow health plans and groups of providers to establish "Better Care Plans" and "Better Care Practices." Participation would be voluntary. The plans and practices involved in the program would receive risk-adjusted, capitated payments.
"Medicare is now dominated by cancer, diabetes, heart disease and other chronic conditions," Mr. Wyden said in the release. "Medicare reform must be built around offering better quality, more affordable care for these seniors. Fortunately, there are pioneering practices and plans that are paving the way. The point of our bipartisan legislation is to break government's shackles on innovation so that these providers are the norm rather than the exception."
More Articles on Healthcare Payments:
CMS Extends Transparency Movement to Physician Payment
AHA: Hospital Medicare, Medicaid Payments Cut by $113B Since 2010
Congress Considers How to Continue Medicare Provisions After SGR Repeal