Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
CMS, AHIP Announce Quality Measurements For Physicians
For the first time, the Medicare program and the health insurance industry have agreed on a set of ratings to gauge how well doctors do their jobs. Leaders of the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the trade group America鈥檚 Health Insurance Plans announced Tuesday that they have reached a consensus on how to measure physician quality in seven medical areas, from primary care to treatment of patients with cancer or AIDS. (Goldstein, 2/16)
The Obama administration and health insurers took a step Tuesday toward standardizing and improving the measures that are intended to gauge the quality of healthcare but are widely criticized as too burdensome for providers and too numerous or irrelevant to be much help to consumers. (Evans, 2/16)
The government, doctors' groups, insurers and patient advocates say they're coming together on a common set of measurements for what constitutes quality health care. A collaborative representing the various players Tuesday released quality measures for seven broad areas: primary care, cardiology, digestive system, HIV and hepatitis C, medical oncology, orthopedics, and obstetrics and gynecology. (2/16)
Public and private health insurance providers on Tuesday announced a new set of quality measurements meant to make reporting requirements for doctors and care providers more consistent and efficient. By easing the reporting complexity for clinicians, insurers are also hoping to bring down costs for themselves and consumers. While individual payers currently utilize their own measurements, insurers have come together to agree on core measures in seven areas. The effort was led by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and America鈥檚 Health Insurance Plans, an industry trade group. (Siddons, 2/16)
The federal government and the insurance industry released on Tuesday an initial set of measures of physician performance that they hope will reduce the glut of conflicting metrics doctors now must report. The measures are intended to make it easier for Medicare, patients, insurers and employers to assess quality and determine pay. (Rau, 2/16)
