The Partnership to Empower Physician-Led Care (PEPC) submitted a statement for the recording following the House Ways & Means Committee, Subcommittee on Health hearing “The Collapse of Private Practice: Examining the Challenges Facing Independent Medicine.” Our comments highlight the role of value-based care in supporting and preserving today’s independent workforce.
Many independent practices are doing business differently and turning to value-based care models to generate greater, more predictable revenue streams. This transition is paying off, as independent physicians consistently outperform their hospital counterparts in accountable care models.
Today’s independent physician landscape looks different than the prior generation of independent practices. As our health care system prioritizes interoperability, multi-payer alignment, and coordination among specialties and providers, our perspective of ‘independence’ must change. A provider can no longer succeed operating in a silo, nor would we want them to.
We must shift our perspective accordingly, and focus on supporting practices that are led by physicians who have clinical autonomy and accountability to their patients. This includes ensuring robust Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) reimbursement as a platform for value-based care; leveraging and encouraging more physician-led models; and advancing policies that support independent physicians and promote provider competition.
To read our full statement, click here.