Physician-Owned Hospitals Lead The Way in CMS Value-Based Purchasing Program for Fourth Consecutive Year

WASHINGTON, Nov. 4, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- On November 4, 2015, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the results of the Value-Based Purchasing (VBP) program for FY 2016. For the fourth consecutive year, physician-owned hospitals (POHs) were among the top performers in the program, constituting seven of the top 10 hospitals receiving bonus payments.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151104/284091LOGO

Despite representing less than 10% of the total number of participating hospitals, POHs have achieved an enviable level of success in each year of the VBP program. A POH has been the number one hospital in the program in FY 2013-2016, with this year's top honor going to Patients' Hospital of Redding, a POH in Redding, CA. Previously, Bucks County Specialty Hospital, Arkansas Heart Hospital, and Treasure Valley Hospital represented the POH industry at the top of the VBP program.

"Year in and year out, CMS programs measuring quality, cost or patient satisfaction, including the VBP program, demonstrate that physician-owned hospitals are the best in the country," says Dr. Blake Curd, president of the Physician Hospitals of America (PHA). In spite of their continued success, POHs are restricted under current law from expanding their capacity to treat greater numbers of patients. The law - Section 6001 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) - also prohibits physicians from investing in struggling hospitals and bars the opening of any new hospitals with physician ownership.

"It's time for Congress to lift the restrictions on physician-owned hospitals so more patients can benefit from them," Curd says.

A bill currently in Congress, H.R. 2513 - the Promoting Access, Competition and Equity (PACE) Act of 2015 - would change existing law to allow high-quality POHs to expand. "This bill is an important step toward recognizing that physician-led, patient-centric health care is the way of the future," says Curd. "POHs are the embodiment of what health care reform should be and that is why it is so important that we pass legislation to allow them to compete on a level playing field with other hospitals."

Physician Hospitals of America (PHA) offers support, advocacy, and educational services to the physician-owned hospital industry, reflecting at all times the best interests of the patients, physicians, and other specialty providers who play an inextricable and essential role in the provision of healthcare services.

2025 M Street NW, Suite 800
Washington, DC 20036
(202) 367-1113 · (202) 367-2113
info@physicianhospitals.org
www.physicianhospitals.org

Contact:
Leslie Fossey
(903) 939-7747
Email

SOURCE Physician Hospitals of America