Week in Review: Payment Reform Free-for-All

Payment Reform Free-for-All
Thursday, June 20th

Dear Members and Friends:

GIven the state of the health care system today -- high costs, low quality, poor outcomes, and millions of patients with complex health issues, it is worth emphasizing that payment reform is an essential ingredient to turning our system around.

This is especially true of payment solutions that reward: providers for improving quality, lowering costs, and engaging patients and families; patients who make smart choices about when and where they receive care; and systems, like Accountable Care Organizations or even states, that reduce waste and spending, and improve efficiencies. You'll notice below that we've brought back the Catalyst for Payment Reform's National Scorecard, which tells us that just 11% of health care dollars spent are value-oriented. While many of you are leading the charge toward a value-based system, and making the most of health care reform, we encourage you to continue your leadership of this very important movement that is grounded in the principles of patient-centered primary care.

To further inspire you this month, we are very grateful to feature Dr. Kavita Patel of Brookings during our Monthly National Briefing (Th. 6/27, 11AM). As many of you know, Dr. Patel is a passionate physician and policy leader, and no stranger to payment reform. She will provide her perspectives regarding its future based on her work with the National Commission on Physician Payment Reform, and answer your questions on the issue.

We look forward to catching up with you then!

Sincerely,

Marci Nielsen, PhD, MPH
Chief Executive Officer

Health Care Costs Take Center Stage at Senate Finance

A diverse group of health care experts gathered before the Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday to encourage lawmakers to improve the transparency of health care pricing. Paul Ginsburg, president of the Center for Studying Health System Change, advised that health plans and employers should provide incentives for enrollees to choose higher-value providers; a recommendation that has been included in several proposals, including the Medicare Essentials plan.

Suzanne Delbanco, executive director for the Catalyst for Payment Reform, also recommended that lawmakers require data sharing from providers and private health plans, while others advocated for a free, searchable database that the public could use to research prices.

Watch the hearing.
Read expert statements.

Dr. Richard Baron to Receive Barbara Starfield Award at PCPCC Conference

Earlier this week we announced that R ichard J. Baron, MD will receive the PCPCC's Barbara Starfield Award during our annual conference.

Dr. Baron is the newly appointed President & CEO of the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) and ABIM Foundation, and former Group Director, Seamless Care Models at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation. The award will be presented on Tuesday, October 15th from 8:30 AM to 9:00 AM.

Register for the conference.
Read the press release.

Upcoming Events
Webinars, Seminars, and Knowledge Sharing

Executive Committee: Payment Reform Briefing with Len Nichols June 25 | PCPCC l Briefing

Health Coaching: Practical Lessons from the Field
June 26 | AAFP l Webinar

Monthly National Briefing: Kavita Patel of Brookings June 27 | PCPCC l Briefing

In Search of Joy in Practice: Innovations from 23 High Functioning Primary Care Practices
June 28 l PCPCC l Webinar

Behavioral Health Integration in the Medical Home: An Overview of the Massachusetts Self-Assessment and Online Toolkit
July 11 l PCPCC l Webinar

Dr. Kavita Patel to Lead PCPCC Payment Reform Discussion

This month's National Briefing on Thursday, June 27, will feature Dr. Kavita Patel from The Brookings Institution, who will discuss the future of physician payment reform based on her work with the National Commission on Physician Payment Reform.

In addition, PCPCC Chairman, David K. Nace, MD, Vice President of Clinical Development at McKesson, will join PCPCC CEO Marci Nielsen in providing an overview of the PCPCC's Strategic Plan, and the upcoming projects and activities to look for from the Stakeholder Centers.

Click here for call information.

Thursday Throwback: National Scorecard on Payment Reform

"Only about 11% of the health care dollars we pay to doctors and hospitals today are value-oriented."

- Catalyst for Payment Reform, 2013.