There’s going to be a lot of angst among physicians around the country over this, and quite understandably so. But we need to be part of the solution, and this is a potential part of the solution.
That’s what Mario E. Motta, MD, president of the Massachusetts Medical Society, says about the proposal for accountable care organizations to replace fee-for-service medicine in his state.
Read my article in Neurology Today to find out more.
Many proposals for a new way to pay health care providers are being considered, and all of them have critics.
Into this fray, the American Academy of Neurology Professional Association has proposed its own payment strategy that would provide bonus payments, based on quality reporting and care coordination – that might actually lower the cost of treating some neurologic patients while improving the care they receive.
Read my article in Neurology Today to find out details.
If it’s done correctly, I think subspecialists can do well in this mode.
That’s what Edward R. Jones, MD, president of Renal Physicians Association and a member of a six-physician practice in Philadelphia, thinks about the medical home concept.
Find out more about what the medical home may mean for subspecialists by reading my article in Nephrology Times.
Dawn Holcombe, executive director of the Connecticut Oncology Association and president of DGH Consulting, says oncologists need to pay more attention to the changes that are coming:
I worry that a lot of them don’t understand what they’re about to be hit with.
While many payment reform ideas are being tested, three concepts emerge in almost all of them. Find out what they are by reading my article in Oncology Times.
Now that America’s fee-for-service payment system has become the favored target for criticism for health care payers and policymakers, the search is on for its successor. One popular candidate: episode-based payment that transforms the way oncologists and other providers are paid for their work.
Read my article in Oncology Times to learn more.
I’ll look anyone straight in the eye and say, ‘This is certainly good for the insurer, very good for the patient, and economically good for the doctor. Why can’t we set something up where everyone does well, as opposed to everyone doing badly?
–Roy Beveridge, MD, Medical Director for US Oncology, describing his company’s new program, Innovent Oncology.
US Oncology, the nation’s largest chain of cancer clinics, and Cancer Clinics of Excellence, a group of independent clinics, both see clinical pathways as a key component of payment reform for oncologists. To learn more, read my article in Oncology Times.
The primary care shortage will get much worse when more Americans are covered. That’s a better problem than letting 47 million Americans remain uninsured.
According to Dr. Ted Epperly, president of the Kansas-based American Academy of Family Physicians:
To keep up with the demand for primary care doctors, the country will need to add another 40,000 to the existing 100,000 doctors over the next decade or face a soaring backlog.
The beginning of an extremely important week for our nation.
And the awards just keep coming…tee hee…
I am proud to report that the 2009 APEX Awards for Publication Excellence presented me with an Award of Excellence for my Practice Matters column in Oncology Times. I love writing for OT and am thrilled to get this recognition!
I’m at World Health Care Congress, attending session featuring Angela Braly, Wellpoint; Mark McClellan, former CMS head; and the CEO of Kelly Services. Upcoming today: Wellpoint announces X-Prize for idea for health care reform later today–I’ll report the winner here. Stay tuned.