Governor Patrick has named MMS Vice President Alice T. Coombs,
MD, to the new Payment Reform Advisory Commission. Dr. Coombs is a
critical care specialist at South Shore Hospital and an
anesthesiologist with South Shore Anesthesia Associates.
The commission was a creation of the massive health care bill
that passed the state legislature during the last session. It is
charged with evaluating the health care payment system and
recommending reforms that will provide incentives for
cost-effective and patient-centered care. According to Governor
Patrick's news release, "The group will evaluate innovative methods
for health care payment, including medical homes, global budgeting,
and capitation rates."
Dr. Coombs said, "I am honored to have been chosen as a member
of the Commission and represent physicians in this critical effort.
Payment reform is an essential part of health care reform. Such
reform will address the existing disparities between quality and
volume-driven payment structures, a situation that has aggravated
our ability to deliver all-important primary care. It will also
help to address health care needs for all residents, particularly
the under-served, especially as we confront increasingly tight
budgets and a weak economy."
The commission is co-chaired by Leslie Kirwan, Secretary of
Administration and Finance, and Sarah Iselin, Commissioner of the
Division of Health Care Finance and Policy. Other members
include:
- Dolores Mitchell, executive director of the Group Insurance
Commission
- Sen. Richard Moore, Senate chair of the Health Care Financing
Committee
- Andrew Dreyfus, executive vice president of health care
services for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts
- Deborah Enos is president and chief executive officer of
Neighborhood Health Plan
- Nancy Kane, DBA, professor of management and the associate dean
for educational programs at the Harvard School of Public
Health
- Lynn Nicholas, FACHE, president and CEO of the Massachusetts
Hospital Association
- Christie Hager, chief health counsel to the House Speaker
