Health Care Transformation Task Force calls on Trump administration to move value-based care forward

Emily Rappleye -

A group that includes six of the nation's top 15 health systems and four of the top 25 payers urged the Trump-Pence administration to make a commitment to value-based healthcare payment reform.

The 43-member Health Care Transformation Task Force wrote a letter to the incoming administration about the need to continue to reduce spending and drive quality improvements by rewarding providers for value, rather than volume of services.

"This is not the time for policymakers to waiver or reverse course, which would send a negative message to the industry and chill ongoing transformation efforts," the task force wrote in the letter. In January 2015, members of the consortium pledged to commit 75 percent of their business to value-based arrangements by 2020. By the end of 2015, the organizations had made significant progress, committing 41 percent of business to value-based care.

"Given the significant industry investment and strong progress to date, we urge the new administration and Congress to send signals of support and encouragement so this transition can be sustained," the letter reads. The group argues the move to value-based care is a bipartisan effort, but requires support from the new administration because progress could otherwise be lost — even in the private sector, which has followed in the footsteps of CMS in rolling out many bundled payment and ACO-like reforms.

"The continued efforts toward models that reduce health care spending and are patient-centric is not a given," Angelo Sinopoli, MD, vice president of clinical integration at Greenville (S.C.) Health System, one of the consortium's member organizations, said in a statement. "Major changes in information technology, healthcare work force, delivery system infrastructure, and innovative treatment models are essential for improving patient outcomes and reducing costs. Without visible support for this direction, some may decide to either stop or slow movement until it is clear the new administration and Congress will support transformation."

Read the full letter here.

 

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