Episode payment model leads to significant savings

A recent study in the Journal of Oncology Practice found that rewarding physicians for outcomes and cost efficiency resulted in improved quality and lower costs for patients undergoing cancer treatment. Over three years, five medical groups treating a total of 810 patients with breast, colon and lung cancer were observed both before and after the initiation of the payment change. According to the authors, the purpose of the study was twofold. First, they wanted to prove that aligned financial incentives supported by quality information would reduce costs. They met this goal, showing a 34 percent reduction from their predicted total medical costs ($98 million to $65 million). Second, they wanted to prove that removing the linkage between drug selection and income would also reduce costs. Costs for the drugs used in treatments, however, increased 179 percent ($7.5 million predicted to almost $21 million actual). The authors note that collaboration was an important part to the success of the pilot and that even though treatment costs went up, the groups still achieved significant savings.

Survey finds physician pay increasingly tied to quality and patient satisfaction metrics

Primary care physicians and specialists are increasingly seeing part of their compensation tied to quality measures, according to a new survey from the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA). In their report, “Physician Compensation and Production Survey: 2014 Report Based on 2013 Data,” MGMA found that 6 percent of total compensation for primary care physicians and 5.7 percent for specialists was tied to quality measures. In addition, primary care physicians reported a slight increase in the percentage of compensation tied to patient satisfaction and specialists reported that an average of 2.31 percent of their compensation was tied to patient satisfaction, compared to 1.61 percent reported in 2012. In a press release, Susan L. Turney, MD, MS, FACP, FACMPE, president and chief executive officer of MGMA said, “Physicians are committed to providing quality care to patients, so it’s not surprising that compensation methodologies are evolving to incorporate these metrics.”

CMS releases proposed rule on Medicare physician fee schedule

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published in the July 11 Federal Register its proposed rule for CY 2015 with changes to the Medicare physician fee schedule and other revisions under Medicare Part B. The rule’s provisions include expansion of Medicare approved telehealth services, payment for chronic care management services, data collection of services furnished in off-campus, provider-based departments and expansion of the physician value-based payment modifier. Comments are due to CMS by Sept. 2. A final rule will be issued by Nov. 1, and changes generally will be effective Jan. 1, 2015. On Aug. 1, the American Hospital Association sent its members an in-depth advisory on the proposed rule.

Antibiotic resistance may be next pandemic, CDC director warns

Could antibiotic resistance be the next pandemic? According to Tom Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it may well be. An article for USA Today details a recent speech Frieden gave to the National Press Club. In his speech, Frieden says antibiotic resistance accounts for $20 billion a year in health care spending. The common use of antibiotics has led some bacteria to mutate and become resistant to these drugs. Frieden said he was most worried about CRE, which according to the article is a deadly family of bacteria that are nearly immune to antibiotics and have the ability to "jump" between organisms and even species. In the article, Frieden said, “Anti-microbial resistance has the potential to harm or kill anyone in the country, undermine modern medicine, to devastate our economy and to make our health care system less stable.”

 

The PLF has championed the appropriate use of antibiotics. In partnership with several national organizations, the PLF has created an antimicrobial stewardship toolkit composed of resources for hospitals and health systems, clinicians and patients.

AHA town-hall webcast to discuss implementing an antimicrobial stewardship program

Tune in to the next American Hospital Association (AHA) members-only Town Hall Webcast on Tuesday, Aug. 12, at 4:00 p.m. ET to hear from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) about the clinical evidence supporting antimicrobial stewardship programs and the core elements in developing a hospital program. The webcast also will review the new Antimicrobial Stewardship Toolkit from the AHA’s Physician Leadership Forum and provide a hospital perspective on implementing a stewardship program. Featured speakers include:

Click here for more information.

The hospitalist role in improving quality and value of care

A recent article from H&HN Daily explores the hospitalist’s role in a value driven organization. According to the article, the most common value initiative hospitalists can improve is care transitions. Hospitalists have the opportunity to improve other areas of care, the article says, but it won’t happen without hospital leadership involvement. The article suggests having a senior hospital leader monitor the goals of the hospital medicine group to make sure they remain on track. The article also features hospitalist groups at three different institutions and what they did to help improve the value of care at their respective places. The article concludes with two top five lists, one for pediatric hospital care and one for adult hospital medicine that the Society of Hospital Medicine developed as part of the ABIM Foundation’s Choosing Wisely campaign.

Boot camp aims to prevent "July effect"

Before unleashing them on patients, a boot camp for new doctors at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and its Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago aims to make sure they’re prepared for the job, according to a recent article from CBS News. Over a two to three day period, doctors are tested on a variety of skills, such as handling newborns during childbirth and delivering bad news. With residents coming from all over the country, Northwestern wanted to make sure all of them possess the necessary skills to practice at their hospital, as well as to combat the so-called “July effect.” The program was created in 2011 and has since won an innovation award from the Association of American Medical Colleges.

Helping alleviate burnout

A recent article published in the journal Burnout Research suggests the best way to prevent physician burnout is to reform medical education and the workplace environment. The paper attempts to identify the key elements that contribute to burnout, highlight its incremental nature during one’s career, and review the implications for treating burnout as a systematic problem for interventions. The author argues burnout usually takes root in medical school, where the training is heavily skewed toward technical skills rather than interpersonal skills associated with being a member of a team. As they move into the hospital environment, the author says physicians are increasingly under pressure to do more with less, and because their professional roles are embedded, it represents a significant barrier to change. The author notes that interventions have mostly focused on the individual rather than on the system that has produced this outcome, and that a proper solution begins with system redesign.

Team-based care the focus of next PLF webinar

Register now for the PLF’s next webinar, "Taking Charge of Team-Based Care: Lessons Learned and Results Attained," taking place Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2014 beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET.

 

In this hour-long webinar, presenters Susan D. Douglass, president, Susan Douglass and Associates, LLC, and Paul H. Keckley, PhD, managing director, healthcare, Navigant Consulting, Inc., will present a proven set of building blocks for a successful transition to team-based care as well as two case studies and some key skill sets required for success including some from outside the health care field. Specifically:

To register for this complimentary webinar, click here.

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