The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced last week that a pilot pay-for-performance program, which pays doctors based on quality of care, has lowered costs “in some cases” and improved quality of care for patients with congestive heart failure, coronary artery disease, and diabetes.
According to CMS, four of the 10 groups participating in the program reduced costs to patients and CMS spending by $17.4 million.
Kerry Weems, acting administrator for CMS, said, “We are paying for better outcomes and we are getting higher quality and more value for the Medicare dollar. And these results show that by working in collaboration with the physician groups on new and innovative ways to reimburse for high quality care, we are on the right track to find a better way to pay physicians.”
