CMS Seeks Physician Input on Future Payment System

CMS is looking for input from physicians as it prepares to transition from using a payment system that focuses on quantity and consumption of resources to one that rewards quality and efficiency of care.

As part of the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 enacted last July, HHS must submit its recommendations on how to transition to a value-based purchasing program to Congress by May 1, 2010. In response, the agency has prepared an issues paper, "Development of a Plan to Transition to a Medicare Value-Based Purchasing Program for Physicians and Other Professional Services." (36-page PDF; About PDFs)

According to the paper, certain inefficiencies exist in the current payment system. Therefore, it states, "CMS has a strong interest in developing a value-based program for professionals that could both increase quality of care and reduce overall program costs, such as through better coordination of care and reduced hospital admissions."

CMS invites physicians to read and provide comments on the paper, which focuses on four major areas that will become the foundation of Medicare's future value-based program. Those areas are

Family physicians may be most interested in questions related to incentives and how payments should be distributed among professionals to achieve the goals of the program.
In the paper, CMS asks physicians to respond to specific questions, including

Physicians can e-mail their comments, fax them to (410) 786-8005, or mail them to CMS at 7500 Security Blvd., Baltimore, MD, 21244-1850, mail stop C5-15-02. Address the envelope to "Attn: Physician VBP Comments." CMS must receive comments by 5 p.m. ET on Dec. 16.

On Dec. 9, the AAFP will participate in a CMS-sponsored conference call about the contents of the value-based purchasing paper. The Academy may provide official comments before the deadline.