Sunday, March 22, 2015

New Payment Models reshape Practice and Healthcare Effectiveness

Better Care. Smarter Spending. Healthier People:
Paying Providers for Value, Not Volume
Accountable Care Organization Model
Effects of Health Care Payment Models on Physician Practice in the United States | RAND

Abstract

The project reported here, sponsored by the American Medical Association (AMA), aimed to describe the effects that alternative health care payment models (i.e., models other than fee-for-service payment) have on physicians and physician practices in the United States. These payment models included
  • capitation,
  • episode-based and bundled payment,
  • shared savings,
  • pay for performance, and
  • retainer-based practice.
Accountable care organizations and medical homes, which are two recently expanding practice and organizational models that frequently participate in one or more of these alternative payment models, were also included. Project findings are intended to help guide efforts by the AMA and other stakeholders to make improvements to current and future alternative payment programs and help physician practices succeed in these new payment models — i.e., to help practices simultaneously improve patient care, preserve or enhance physician professional satisfaction, satisfy multiple external stakeholders, and maintain economic viability as businesses. The report provides both findings and recommendations.

Recommendations

  • To optimize the quantity and content of physician work under alternative payment models, ensure that physician practices have support and guidance.
  • To improve the effectiveness of alternative payment models, address physicians' concerns about the operational details of these payment models.
  • To help them succeed in alternative payment models, ensure that physician practices have data and resources for data management and analysis.
  • To help physician practices respond constructively, harmonize key components of alternative payment models, especially performance measures.

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