Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Menu
Search
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Latest News

      Federal Institute Recommends Changing How Doctors Are Paid

      By
      M.L. Baker
      -
      September 25, 2006
      Share
      Facebook
      Twitter
      Linkedin

        When it comes to providing health care to seniors, the federal government is not a smart shopper.

        Thats according to a report by the Institute of Medicine, which recommends dramatic changes in how doctors are paid for their care, a recommendation which could be a boon to the health IT industry.

        “The current payment system creates many incentives for a high volume of services, yet few for better health,” concludes the report, “Rewarding Provider Performance: Aligning Incentives in Medicare,” which recommends that physicians be rewarded for making their patients healthier.

        “Medicares current payment system places no emphasis on whether the care delivered is of high or low clinical quality or is appropriate,” the report reads.

        Instead, Medicare should tie reimbursement to patient outcomes and “should recognize, promote and reward improved coordination of care among a patients multiple providers and during entire episodes of illness.”

        Interoperable systems capable of sharing patient information between caregivers at hospitals, nursing homes, and community-based systems could prevent lapses and overlaps in care caused when caregivers at one institution do not realize what care has, or has not, been provided at another.

        /zimages/4/28571.gifReport: State and local health IT spending to swell. Click here to read more.

        Such recommendations are broader than many so-called P4P (pay-for-performance) programs. These tend to reward discrete actions, like recommending vaccinations, ordering particular blood tests for diabetic patients, or making sure that heart attack patients receive aspirin within an hour of being admitted.

        Whether P4P rewards are triggered directly by doctors practices or by healthier patients, IT is generally seen both as a way to improve care and to document that improvement.

        A spokesman for CMS admitted that current payment systems were “not doing the job,” but said that the report showed that CMS was “on the right track,” as the Center is already implementing and studying P4P plans.

        Last year, CMS awarded nearly $9 million as part of a voluntary program that would award hospitals bonuses for scoring in the top fifth for a set of quality measures. A similar program for large physicians group is underway.

        In addition, CMS is sponsoring a variety of voluntary “demonstration projects” across the country.

        These efforts seem narrow against the IOMs recommendation, especially seen against a project involving several health plans in California.

        “Californias experience with Pay for Performance demonstrates that rewarding physicians for quality, not quantity, results in better care,” said Tom Williams, executive director of the Integrated Healthcare Association, the non-profit group organizing the effort.

        Seven participating health plans (Aetna, Blue Cross, Blue Shield, CIGNA, Health Net, PacifiCare and Western Health Advantage) covering about 12 million patients paid physicians $90 million in P4P-related bonuses.

        Cutting pay to underperforming physicians could fund rewards to improving and high-quality providers, according to the IOM. However, physicians groups warn that punishing policies would encourage doctors to shun CMS patients.

        Still, the IOM says the Department of Health and Human Services needs three years to determine whether voluntary approaches are working. Otherwise, HHS should consider mandatory measures.

        Margo Edmunds, a policy analyst with the Lewin Group, a health care research and consulting firm, expects CMS to move slowly and carefully. “I dont think were going to see anything national. Well see what were seeing now start increasing.”

        /zimages/4/28571.gifGovernment studies how to push digital health records. Click here to read more.

        That, she said, is the most responsible way forward. “They really want to get enough evidence about what works before they bring it up to scale.”

        But adopted programs will certainly include provisions to promote the use of electronic medical records, interoperable information technology, e-prescribing and the like, she said. “CMS is definitely committed to wiring the health care system.”

        The Institutes reports of flawed health care systems have already pushed health practitioners toward revising workflow and incorporating health IT.

        In July 2006, IOM recommended that all prescriptions be written electronically by 2010. Most famously, it alerted the public that medical errors are one of the top causes of death, with more people dying from medical errors than motor accidents, breast cancer or AIDS.

        /zimages/4/28571.gifCheck out eWEEK.coms for the latest news, views and analysis of technologys impact on health care.

        M.L. Baker
        Monya Baker is co-editor of CIOInsight.com's Health Care Center. She has written for publications including the journal Nature Biotechnology, the Acumen Journal of Sciences and the American Medical Writers Association, among others, and has worked as a consultant with biotechnology companies. A former high school science teacher, Baker holds a bachelor's degree in biology from Carleton College and a master's of education from Harvard.

        MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

        Android

        Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro: Durability for Tough...

        Chris Preimesberger - December 5, 2020 0
        Have you ever dropped your phone, winced and felt the pain as it hit the sidewalk? Either the screen splintered like a windshield being...
        Read more
        Cloud

        Why Data Security Will Face Even Harsher...

        Chris Preimesberger - December 1, 2020 0
        Who would know more about details of the hacking process than an actual former career hacker? And who wants to understand all they can...
        Read more
        Cybersecurity

        How Veritas Is Shining a Light Into...

        eWEEK EDITORS - September 25, 2020 0
        Protecting data has always been one of the most important tasks in all of IT, yet as more companies become data companies at the...
        Read more
        Big Data and Analytics

        How NVIDIA A100 Station Brings Data Center...

        Zeus Kerravala - November 18, 2020 0
        There’s little debate that graphics processor unit manufacturer NVIDIA is the de facto standard when it comes to providing silicon to power machine learning...
        Read more
        Apple

        Why iPhone 12 Pro Makes Sense for...

        Wayne Rash - November 26, 2020 0
        If you’ve been watching the Apple commercials for the past three weeks, you already know what the company thinks will happen if you buy...
        Read more

        eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

        Facebook
        Linkedin
        RSS
        Twitter
        Youtube

        Advertisers

        Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

        Advertise with Us

        Menu

        • About eWeek
        • Subscribe to our Newsletter
        • Latest News

        Our Brands

        • Privacy Policy
        • Terms
        • About
        • Contact
        • Advertise
        • Sitemap
        • California – Do Not Sell My Information

        Property of TechnologyAdvice.
        © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

        Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

        ×