Health Reform – Medicare: Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) set ambitious goals for increasing the proportion of Medicare payments designed to improve the value of care patients receive. HHS goals include tying 50 percent of traditional, or fee-for-service, Medicare payments to quality or value by the end of 2018 through alternative payment models.
Just a few weeks ago, Congress passed legislation adding additional heft to these goals. The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act will help significantly increase the proportion of Medicare payments reflecting and supporting the quality of care.
The Catalyst for Payment Reform (CPR) unveiled an independent review of Medicare payments, taking a retrospective yardstick to how Medicare has been paying for health care. CPR released the findings in its Scorecard on Medicare Payment Reform, the first such analysis of the billions of dollars Medicare pays to health care providers. At a time when Congress and the Obama Administration are implementing huge payment reforms in Medicare, the Scorecard serves as a critical benchmark to assess the progress of these efforts and, eventually, how well they are working to improve quality and cost.
Read the full report here.
Contact Steven G. Cosby, MHSA with questions or to request more information and to schedule a healthcare plan evaluation, savings analysis or group plan solution for your company.
