Statement on the Introduction of the Value in Health Care Act

By Soumi Saha, Senior Vice President, Government Affairs, Premier Inc.

The Alliance for Value-Based Patient Care* commends Representatives Darin LaHood (R-Ill.), Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.), Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio), Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), Larry Bucshon (R-Ind.), and Kim Schrier (D-Wash.) for advancing legislation that prioritizes achieving the best possible clinical outcome for patients, providers, and payers.

“The perfect storm of rising healthcare costs coupled with labor shortages and an aging population demands innovation and the continued movement towards value-based care. Medicare must move towards a system that supports quality and coordination of patient care rather than the number of services delivered. To innovate, healthcare providers must invest in quality measurement and improvement, patient-centered care, and advanced technologies that facilitate knowledge sharing and care coordination.

“The best way to enable these investments and keep up the momentum for value-based care is for Congress to pass the bipartisan ‘Value in Health Care Act,’ which extends Medicare’s incentives for physicians and other clinicians who participate in alternative payment models (APMs). Continuing the 5% incentive payments for two years while simultaneously freezing the 50% revenue threshold that clinicians must meet to qualify for these bonuses is essential to building on the steady, incremental progress APMs have made over the last decade. Giving the Secretary of Health and Human Services the ability to further increase the revenue threshold, but by no more than 5% in a given year, will provide much needed additional flexibility to allow APMs to grow and flourish.”

*Premier is a founding member of the Alliance for Value-Based Patient Care, which advocates on behalf of 630,000 physicians and other clinicians, hospitals, medical groups, and healthcare stakeholders who depend on Congress’ support of policies to drive the continued transition to value-based care.