American College of Physician Executives Supports Alternative to SGR Medicare Funding Formula

TAMPA, Fla., May 31, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The American College of Physician Executives (ACPE) today informed the House Ways and Means Committee it supports the creation of a more permanent solution to Medicare funding challenges.

"Clearly, the politically charged, short-term approach to averting reimbursement cuts required by the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula is not working," said Dr. Peter Angood, the CEO of ACPE, the nation's largest health care organization for physician leaders and executives from all types of health care organizations across the U.S.

"ACPE wants to emphasize that preserving physician income should not be the primary focus of this complex policy discussion. The desired endpoint needs to be timely, equitable access to sustainable, high-quality safe and efficient health care," Angood added.

ACPE was one of several health care organizations invited by the House Ways and Means Committee to comment on the SGR situation and the long-term fiscal challenges faced by the Medicare program. In a letter to the committee, ACPE emphasized the need for a new formula that contains nine key elements:

• Value-driven: It must be focused on value-based care, not volumes of patients seen or procedures conducted.
• Evidence-based: Physicians should be rewarded for following evidence-based guidelines and clinical pathways that are proven to provide safe, reliable care.
• Quality-centered: The new formula must include compensation for providing high-quality care that results in fewer hospital readmissions.
• Safe: Physicians should be rewarded for putting patient safety first and avoiding costly medical mistakes.
• Measured: Physician compliance with quality and safety efforts should be measured and reimbursed if they achieve the formula's goals.
• Fair: Any payment formula must be fair and equitable for all physicians, and should not pit primary care doctors against specialists.
• Innovative: The payment formula should take innovation into account and encourage physicians to implement new processes that save money while improving quality and keeping patients safe.
• Streamlined: We frequently hear from ACPE members about the burden of regulations surrounding Medicare payments. Time and money spent on highly detailed reporting could be better spent providing quality patient care.
• Physician-led: Physicians are much more likely to be accepting of a revised reimbursement plan if it is developed with a great deal of physician input.

ACPE added that it stands ready to offer any assistance necessary to bring about a permanent, measured, disciplined and bi-partisan approach to Medicare funding.

Contact:
Carrie Johnson, ACPE director of public relations
[email protected]
800-562-8088
http://www.acpe.org/

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SOURCE American College of Physician Executives