Response to Senate HELP RFI

In this letter, the Task Force responds to the Senate HELP Committee’s questions regarding specific actions that Congress and the administration can take to lower health care costs and incentivize care that improves health outcomes and increases the ability for patients to access the information needed to make informed decisions about their care. We believe it is imperative for Congress to consider that – while lowering our nation’s health care costs is critical – it is paramount to ensure care delivery is of high-quality and appropriate to the patient/consumer needs, goals, and preferences.

Task Force Response Summary

  1. Encourage Alignment on Defining Goals for Value Transformation. Congress should encourage the Department of Health and Human Services to lead a public discussion to define patient-centered goals for value transformation. HCTTF members wish to confirm whether they are still aligned with HHS on pursuing delivery system reform or if HHS now has different views for charting an appropriate path to value-based payment and what that new path may be.
  2. Accelerate the Pace of Innovation in Medicare, Medicaid, and Throughout the Federal Government. In order to truly achieve the goals of MACRA, Congress should encourage CMS to more rapidly refine existing APMs and introduce new models that provide a stronger business case and better incentivize providers to adopt innovative approaches to contain costs and improve the quality of care for patients. Congress should evaluate the current process that CMS utilizes to determine whether a model qualifies for expansion and encourage the Department to devote needed resources for any patient questions, concerns, or appeals and be responsive to those needs. The Task Force recommends that Congress assess and modify the existing physician self-referral prohibition and/or create new exceptions for alternative payment model participants to allow for greater care coordination within the construct of APMs.
  3. Encourage the Development of Better Outcomes Measures for Quality and Value.
  4. Maximize the Value of the Physician-Focused Payment Model Technical Advisory Committee (PTAC). The Task Force fully supports the primary objective of the Physician-focused Payment Model Technical Advisory Committee (PTAC), which is for the private sector to bring forward ideas and proposals for alternative payment models. However, the Task Force believes PTAC is not maximizing its potential value under its current framework and processes, and Congress should consider revising its authority so that its full potential can be achieved.

 

Read the full letter for the Task Force’s Recommendations. 

 

Read the Letter Here

 

Letter Submitted on March 1st, 2019