The largest private-sector effort to tame medical spending in Massachusetts appears to be getting results, as doctors who agreed to work on a budget have cut costs by using less-expensive imaging and lab companies and expanding office hours to reduce emergency room use.
Health spending for patients treated through Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts’ pioneering global-payment program grew more slowly in 2010 than for patients whose physicians were paid the traditional way — receiving a separate fee for every office visit, test, and procedure. At the same time, the 4,800 doctors in the program scored higher on measures of quality of care, according to research published Wednesday.
Comments
Once again the problems will be in the details which the Globe never examines instead preferring to echo a press release..The so called "quality" indicators are extremely limited. The new federal standard for HMOs, sorry they are now called ACOs, only use something like 55 indicators. The so called alternative quality contract uses less. They are completely inadequate to truly measure quality across the entire spectrum of healthcare. Providers simply target their information systems on collecting the data surrounding them. They also concentrate all their efforts on these limited indicators ignoring other equally important areas ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I am sure we will see this 1 study sited frequently as the legislature attempts to shove the return to the failed 1990s system of capitation, sorry it's called global payments now, down the throats of the people of MA. The authors of the study admit they only looked at ambulatory primary care indicators but we see one of the legislatures so called experts personal injury lawyer Steven Walsh using as justification for implementing his plan across the entire spectrum of health care. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The people of MA can get ready for shortages, the return of drive through deliveries, even longer waits in the ER for a bed, and all the other wonderful things the 90s brought to MA patients.
Before popping the corks, all insurers earned more in general because people cut back their medical visits because of the economy. This makes a true past and present comparison difficult. Recently I have received checks from 2 insurers(my wife and I have different policies) because less than 80% of premiums was spent on medical services. This means less services were provided than in the past. It is not clear whether this is due to the capitation program or general economic conditions.