Value-Based Care

The former nurse and hospital company executive, Marilyn Tavenner, has been confirmed as administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Tavenner has been serving as the interim administrator for the CMS since 2010. Her appointment, which has officially been vacant since Dr Mark B. McClellan stepped down in October 2006, came after much debate as to whether or not she should officially lead the organization.

Paul Ginsburg, PhD, President, Center for Studying Health System Change, says that consolidation plays a role in healthcare costs regarding the shift in hospital and provider market power.

Integrated health systems are often portrayed as the most effective in providing high-quality care at lower costs. This systematic review assesses the empirical evidence.

In the multi-part presentation entitled The Quality Mandate: Understanding New Regulatory Policies and Quality Superheroes, Robert Yeh, MD, a cardiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), started the first session by reporting on the changing epidemiology of today's cardiovascular disease patient.

Lyndon Box, MD, is a cardiologist and contributor to the SCAI tool kit working at the University of Florida, Jacksonville. He opened up the session on quality and safety tools by discussing his most recent experience after accepting a position as the director of a new catheterization lab.

As implementation of the Affordable Care Act moves forward, insurers and providers will need to continue searching for innovative ways to provide transparent, cost-effective healthcare.

Health plans are fundamentally transforming the delivery of healthcare for patients by reforming payment models, coordinating care, and partnering with providers.