Highlighting a need to continue improving the quality of care Medicare beneficiaries receive while reducing the growth of health care costs, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) this week announced the establishment of a Health Care Payment Learning and Action Network of stakeholders to align work across sectors. The Network will seek to help the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services meet its goals of making 30 percent of fee-for-service payments through alternative payment models and population-based payments by the end of 2016 and 50 percent by the end of 2018.

This is another in a series of efforts to pay providers for value rather than volume. “The Department of Health and Human Services’ plan to move Medicare from a volume-based system to a value-based system is an important one and aligns with the ACC’s goal to transform care for patients,” said ACC President Patrick T. O’Gara, MD, FACC. “The creation of an Action Network, announced by Secretary Sylvia Burwell, has the potential to be an exciting and encouraging step.”

ACC members already interact with many of the programs cited as examples of improvements to the delivery system. The College will continue to find ways for members to succeed in an evolving payment environment by providing high-quality care that can align with these programmatic goals.

“The ACC looks forward to further details on how HHS will work with providers, patients, and payers to achieve these targets,” noted O’Gara. “Helping medical practitioners provide the best possible care to their patients remains paramount to our members.”

Keywords: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, U.S., Fee-for-Service Plans, Health Care Costs, Medicaid, Medicare, United States Dept. of Health and Human Services

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