Medicare’s Innovation Chief Wants To ‘Blow Up’ Model For Paying Primary Care Physicians
Adam Boehler wants to introduce a new model that focuses on quality of care. That new model will be the first major test of Boehler’s efforts to accelerate the federal government’s slow-moving shift to what’s known as value-based care.
Stat:
Medicare's Solution For Saving Primary Care: Blow Up The Office Visit
Medicare’s innovation chief, Adam Boehler, wants to “blow up” America’s system of paying for primary care by revamping one of its most fundamental building blocks: the old-fashioned office visit. In coming weeks, Boehler’s office is expected to introduce a new model of paying primary care physicians that may strongly encourage them to use more modern methods, such as telehealth and online consultations, to care for patients in their homes and keep them out of hospitals. (Ross, 2/26)
In other news on Medicare —
Modern Healthcare:
Hospitals' All-Payer Margins Climb In 2017 Even As Medicare Margins Slump
Preliminary data from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission shows hospitals' Medicare margins continue to decline, reaching their lowest point in 2017 in at least a decade. Even so, hospitals' all-payer margins continued their upward trek. In aggregate, U.S. hospitals' Medicare margin was negative 9.9% in 2017, compared with negative 9.7% in 2016, according to MedPAC. The commission noted that the results are preliminary and subject to change. MedPAC publishes a report to Congress each March with finalized data. (Livingston, 2/25)
The Star Tribune:
With Plans 'Just Not Working' For Many, Medicare Market Busier Than Usual
Minnesotans who lost their Medicare Cost health plans for 2019 are nearing the end of extra sign-up periods when they can make changes, prompting state officials to encourage final checks among the more than 300,000 people who had to switch coverage. A Star Tribune review of January enrollment data shows that most Minnesotans didn't select a "zero-premium" health plan, which suggests many paid more up front in hopes of minimizing problems with limited access to doctors or less coverage for their prescription drugs. (Snowbeck, 2/25)
