Mass. Global Payment Expert Among Panelists
Vital Signs: May 2012
Nearly one year ago, a dozen physician experts in innovation
were invited by the American Medical Association to form a national
Committee of Innovators, charged with examining the challenges
physicians will face as a result of emerging health care payment
and delivery reforms. Springfield internist and geriatrics
specialist Philip F. Gaziano, M.D., was one of those chosen,
selected for his extensive experience with global capitation
payment and delivery systems.
The past 12 months have been intense, Dr. Gaziano said in a
recent interview with Vital Signs. The committee meets by
conference call or in Washington, D.C., monthly and members
correspond and exchange ideas almost daily.
The committee findings are slated to be presented to leaders
from the AMA, the American College of Physicians, and the American
College of Surgeons this spring.
"The emphasis is on delivering quality health care and reducing
waste," said Dr. Gaziano. "And the goal is to look at both health
care delivery reform and health care payment reform - you can't do
one without the other - and come up with education models and
how-to documents reflecting strengths and weaknesses from the real
world."
His Innovator Committee colleagues from across the country bring
a wide range of expertise on topics such as medical homes, bundled
payments, partial capitation, and integrated care systems. Dr.
Gaziano's years of success in pioneering affordable global payment
models that were easily scalable to almost any practice - even solo
practitioners who are not yet using EHR systems - attracted the
AMA's interest, he said.
"This is a great way to communicate with lots of people and move
pilots and innovations out there past the grassroots level," he
said. All of the Innovator Committee efforts are informed by
physicians who have tested their theories in the real world, said
Dr. Gaziano. "It is encouraging that the thought leadership is
coming from physicians, and that the practicing community is making
such a major contribution," he said.
He said many health care providers are still not fully
connecting with the dramatic and permanent upheaval in the field.
"I find myself telling people who think these changes are 'typical'
that we are actually in a once-in-200-years irreversible change,"
he said. "Health care is now 20 percent of the GDP. There has not
been a change {in our lifetimes} that has impacted so many people
and livelihoods, and also has so much potential for improved
quality and satisfaction."
- Erica Noonan
