Doctors praise GOP's plans for Medicare pay but seek uniform quality measures

May 9 2013

At a Capitol Hill hearing, physicians offered thoughts about Republican efforts to change the way they are paid by Medicare. Meanwhile, Speaker John Boehner said the House may again consider a bill that would use money slated for prevention efforts to fund high-risk insurance pools.

CQ HealthBeat: Medicare Doctors Pay Legislation Still In Planning Phase In House
House members continue to build agreement on replacing the formula that dictates payments to Medicare physicians but have not yet come out with a timeline for advancing a proposal. Witnesses at a House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee hearing on Tuesday largely praised the outline from GOP committee leaders that would put in place a three-part system for Medicare physician payments (Ethridge, 5/7).

Medpage Today: Uniform Quality Measures Sought For An SGR Repeal
Doctors need quality measures from a single source and more avenues to qualify for value-based payments under a post-Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) reimbursement system, physician groups told Congress Tuesday. As Washington lawmakers work to repeal and replace the SGR, which determines physician payment, and replace it with a system that rewards high-quality care, medical societies offered their views on how to measure quality in a hearing before the House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee. Multiple panelists voiced support for National Quality Forum (NQF) Standards. The NQF is a Washington-based body formed in 1999 to review, endorse, and recommend health care performance standards (Pittman, 5/7).

And in other news -

The Hill: GOP Weighs Second High-Risk Pools Vote
Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) indicated Tuesday that GOP leadership could bring back a bill to strengthen part of ObamaCare. The measure to shore up the law's temporary high-risk insurance pools, lacking enough support for passage, was recently pulled from the House floor before its final vote (Viebeck and Baker, 5/8).