The Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) released a white paper report offering legislative and regulatory recommendations regarding the challenges and opportunities for healthcare delivery system reform and the shift from volume- to value-based care.
There are opportunities for reform in the short term, according to the report, including physician payment reform and regulatory action on alternative systems of care. The report touches on legislation to replace the Medicare sustainable growth rate and create a two-track payment system, as well as incentives for alternative payment models. The costs of implementing the legislation could be offset in order to gain bipartisan support and pass the bill, according to the report.
The report also touches on alternative systems of care, including bundled payments, patient-centered medical homes and accountable care organizations. "While differing in scope and design, all three of these models are designed to improve quality and value, leading to better care and lower healthcare costs," the report states. These models will only succeed long-term by providers taking two-sided risk--bonuses and penalties.
To ensure these models stand up to the reform challenge, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services must address the many different challenges, including:
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Ensuring widespread provider participation
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Structuring incentives to incorporate the full range of providers, not just physicians
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Facilitating the establishment of alternative care systems in rural areas
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Structuring new models to best engage and pay specialists
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Improving beneficiary engagement and attribution
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Assuring price transparency and quality to help beneficiaries make informed healthcare choices
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Determining the appropriate role of telemedicine
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Maintaining consistency across payers
"[O]ver the coming months we will begin to explore solutions to some of the major challenges to developing and implementing alternative systems of care," the report states, adding the BPC will examine possible innovations for remaining fee-for-service programs and other issues related to healthcare delivery reform.
To learn more:
- here's the report