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Amanda Jekowsky , American College of
Cardiology, 202-375-6645, ajekowsk@acc.org
June
15, 2009
ACC CEO Dr. Jack Lewin’s Statement on President Obama’s
Speech to the American Medical Association
ACC Proposes Physician Payment Reform Plan Based
on Quality and Outcomes
Chicago, IL – The American College
of Cardiology’s (ACC) CEO, Jack Lewin, M.D., today released
the following statement after attending President Obama’s
speech to the American Medical Association:
“I was encouraged by President Obama’s message
at the AMA conference here in Chicago and from conversations
with my colleagues. We all agree that we must reform our very
troubled health care system. The nation is poised to take
on this tough issue now.
“What really matters is how we can drive down costs
for our patients and for our country, while ensuring patients
have quality care. One of the ways we do that is by looking
at the way doctors are compensated and reforming the system
so that it’s based on the quality of care provided –
not the quantity.
“If President Obama, Congress and health care reform
advocates are serious, they should be willing to put all of
the options on the table, and remember that payment reform
and access are parallel issues. In order to address the problem
of increasing costs, we must restructure the flawed payment
system.
“The idea of a public plan is a legitimate issue to
consider, with pros and cons. Regardless, the nation must
move forward and expand access and coverage to all Americans,
and also use the momentum of reform to fix the SGR, to improve
quality of care, and to institute payment reforms that promote
quality and effectiveness. These are the key things Americans
need. To derail reform over the controversies surrounding
a public plan as a single provision is irresponsible. If that
issue takes longer to resolve, so be it. But let’s not
let one divisive issue otherwise hold back major needed reforms.
“The ACC has proposed a payment reform option through
the development of a voluntary, multi-specialty, quality-based
physician network that is organized around participation in
CMS-approved clinical registries. Under this proposal, physicians
would be paid by a combination of budget neutral fee-for-service
and virtual bundled bonus payments that rewards effective
practice and improved patient outcomes.
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The American College of Cardiology is leading the way to optimal
cardiovascular care and disease prevention. The College is
a 36,000-member nonprofit medical society and bestows the
credential Fellow of the American College of Cardiology upon
physicians who meet its stringent qualifications. The College
is a leader in the formulation of health policy, standards
and guidelines, and is a staunch supporter of cardiovascular
research. The ACC provides professional education and operates
national registries for the measurement and improvement of
quality care. More information about the association is available
online at www.acc.org .
The American College of Cardiology (ACC) provides these news
reports of clinical studies published in the Journal of
the American College of Cardiology as a service to physicians,
the media, the public and other interested parties. However,
statements or opinions expressed in these reports reflect
the view of the author(s) and do not represent official policy
of the ACC unless stated so.
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