The following are summaries of recent journal articles, selected by our lead researchers, that highlight important physician training and value-based purchasing issues.
Training Health Professionals
- Are We in a Medical Education Bubble Market?
This perspective, published in the Nov. 21, 2013, edition of the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), examines and compares what students are charged by medical schools and what patients are charged by physicians. It concludes that reducing medical school costs can lead to lower health care costs overall.
- Eight Critical Factors in Creating and Implementing a Successful Simulation Program (subscription only)
According to this article, which appeared in the January 2014 issue of the Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety, successful simulation programs are a synthesis of eight critical elements, including science, staff, supplies, space, support, systems, success, and sustainability.
Value-based Care
- Medicare’s Physician Value-Based Payment Modifier — Will the Tectonic Shift Create Waves?
Through the ACA, reimbursement transformation is rewarding physicians for quality care that is provided at a low cost. This perspective, published in the Nov. 28, 2013 edition of NEJM, discusses the three factors that require change for fully effective physician value-based payment modifiers.
- Grading a Physician’s Value — The Misapplication of Performance Measurement
Through the value-based payment modifier, physicians can be rewarded or penalized 1 percent to 2 percent of payments based on care quality and costs. This Nov. 28, 2013, NEJM perspective notes that the value-based payment modifier will not change performance in care, suggesting that this measure should not be used to evaluate a physician’s value.
- Adding Value to Relative-Value Units
According to this perspective, which appeared in the Dec. 5, 2013, edition of NEJM, redesigning the relative-value unit system could create a dependable method for accounting for physician services in value-based payment systems.