Newswise — WASHINGTON – Today, the American Medical Group Association (AMGA) submitted a letter to the newly formed Senate Committee on Finance Chronic Care Workgroup outlining policies that would support care for the chronically ill.
In May, the Senate Committee on Finance formed a working group with the goal of analyzing current law and developing legislation to establish alternative policies for improving care for Medicare beneficiaries with chronic conditions. In support of this effort, the workgroup reached out to AMGA and other stakeholders for guidance on how best to serve this patient population.
AMGA’s letter outlined in detail the current care management processes used by medical groups to treat the chronically ill. The letter also discussed current impediments to developing these processes and offered recommendations on policies that would better support care for this population of patients. The letter notes the need for new financial incentives and operational tools to allow medical groups to be successful in population health management in both fee for service and risk based payment models.Donald W. Fisher, Ph.D., CAE, President and Chief Executive Officer of AMGA, stated, “Medical groups have long invested in establishing processes to identify and care for patients with multiple chronic conditions, despite a lack of reimbursement for these efforts. Proper financial and operational tools are necessary to incentivize and operationalize any new type of care addressing chronic conditions. AMGA welcomes the opportunity to provide the Committee on Finance with input on transforming the current financial system into one that rewards population health management.”
About AMGA The American Medical Group Association is a 501(c)(6) trade association representing medical groups, health systems, and other organized systems of care, including some of the nation's largest, most prestigious integrated delivery systems. AMGA is a leading voice in advocating for efficient, team-based, and accountable care. AMGA members encompass all models of organized systems of care in the healthcare industry, including: physician-owned, independent group practices, integrated delivery systems, hospital-affiliated medical groups, independent practice associations (IPAs), academic and faculty practices, accountable care organizations, and high-performing health systems. More than 170,000 physicians practice in AMGA member organizations, providing healthcare services for 120 million patients (one in three Americans). Headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, AMGA is the strategic partner for these organizations, providing a comprehensive package of benefits, including political advocacy, educational and networking programs, publications, benchmarking data services, and financial and operations assistance. www.amga.org
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