Geographic Adjustment in Medicare Payment Phase II: Implications for Access, Quality, and Efficiency (2012) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:
6 Recommendations
6 Recommendations
Pages 135-142
The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.
From page 135... ...
Analogous to its approach in Phase I of focusing on labor markets, the committee recognized the importance of the health care workforce in its analyses of geographic variations in quality and access to care. Consequently, while the impact analysis in Chapter 2 and Appendix A is extensive, the committee determined that redistribution of payments among Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs)
|
From page 136... ...
The committee advocates more targeted policies and programs both within and outside the Medicare program focusing on the size, composition, and distribution of the health care workforce. In particular, the committee determined that the geographic availability of a workforce constituted to provide its population with robust primary care services is a key factor in achieving geographic access and quality objectives.
|
From page 137... ...
A focus on primary care is an important part of any effort to build a system of care that will provide efficient, high-value care for all Medicare beneficiaries, including those who require care from multiple specialists because of multiple chronic conditions and those who live in medically underserved areas where there are shortages of health professionals. In determining the impact of its Phase I recommendations on vulnerable populations, the committee used HPSAs with shortages of primary care physicians and other practitioners as the generally accepted standard for representation of geographic areas in which beneficiaries may experience access problems due to the undersupply of clinical practitioners.
|
From page 138... ...
As of October 2011, 13 states support telehealth technology to improve parity between health care services delivered in person and via telehealth. While the lack of technology infrastructure was previously cited as a barrier to adopting telehealth services, recent public investments are helping to steadily expand the availability of broadband access in rural communities.
|
From page 139... ...
That provision, and all special provisions established to accomplish specific policy objectives, should continuously be evaluated as to their effectiveness in light of an evolving Medicare program and the environment in which it functions. RECOMMENDATION 5: Congress should fund an independent ongoing entity, such as the National Health Care Workforce Commission, to support data collection, research, evaluations, and strategy development, and make actionable recommendations about workforce distribution, supply, and scope of practice.
|
From page 140... ...
These programs include the National Health Service Corps, Title VII and VIII programs under the Public Health Service Act, and related programs intended to achieve those goals. The committee conducted a comprehensive literature review of public programs designed to improve the geographic distribution of health care professionals.
|
From page 141... ...
It is important to recognize the limitations of reliance on fee-for-service payment in encouraging health care delivery system innovations that emphasize improved population health outcomes rather than increased volume of services. Nevertheless, even as our delivery system evolves toward such reforms, fee-for-service payment levels represent a baseline against which future payments will be compared, including geographic differences in payments.
|
Key Terms
This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
More
information on Chapter Skim is available.