The Obama administration wants to build on an Obamacare-related program that pays hospitals and doctors based on the care they provide, seeking to expand it to heart attacks and hip surgeries.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced several new payment models and policies on Monday as part of a greater effort under Obamacare to shift Medicare payments to the quality of care rather than fee-for-service.
Recommended Stories
The models intend to reward hospitals that work with doctors and providers to avoid complications, speed up recovery and prevent patients from having to go back to the hospital. A hospital that provides better care will get a higher Medicare payment.
Better care is evaluated through a series of metrics that includes how smoothly a surgery went, whether a patient has to go back to the hospital due to complications or responses to patient satisfaction surveys.
CMS already has bundled payment models for multiple types of illnesses and ailments including joint replacement surgery, diabetes or kidney failure.
Now CMS is proposing new models for heart attacks, bypass surgery and hip-femur fracture treatments.
The agency also has a new model to increase the use of cardiac rehabilitation programs that include exercise and education on healthy living.
“Even though these programs help to prevent future heart attacks, only 15 percent of heart attack patients receive cardiac rehabilitation,” said Dr. Patrick Conway, acting deputy CMS administrator, on a call with reporters.
CMS noted that the proposals are not final and the agency is seeking public comments.
