The Partnership to Empower Physician-Led Care (PEPC) submitted a statement for the record following the Senate Special Committee on Aging hearing “The Doctor Is Out: How Washington’s Rules Drove Physicians Out of Medicine.” Our comments highlight that physicians – especially independent physician practices – are the lynchpin of our nation’s health care system, and that value-based care is a path to independence for those who want it.
Increasing consolidation in the hospital and provider markets creates greater urgency to ensure viable
value-based care options for practices and physicians who are independent and wish to remain so.
Because many value-based care models are built on a foundation of federal policies that apply to providers regardless of their practice setting and mode of reimbursement, we are dedicated to advancing policies that create a level playing field.
Additional action is needed to support robust provider competition and ensure that value-based care
continues to be a meaningful pathway to financial independence for physician practices, particularly
those who do not wish to align with a health system, health plan, or private equity organization.
- Address consolidation and market distortion by expanding Medicare site-neutral payment, strengthening antitrust oversight of consolidation and private equity transactions, and enforcing information-blocking prohibitions.
- Advance physician-led value-based care by ensuring accessible model pathways, predictable glidepaths to risk, and clear transition options across CMS programs.
To read our full statement, click here.