CMA Board of Trustees Approves Medicare Reform Principles

With Medicare reform discussions in Congress providing the backdrop, CMA's Board of Trustees adopted new policy dealing with the issue at its April meeting. The new policy is designed to reflect different modes of practice and to ensure that doctors have a choice in determining how and whether they participate in Medicare, and should they do so, receive a fair compensation for their work.

The highlights:

• CMA will continue to support the elimination of the SGR payment formula;
• CMA will urge Congress to provide a Medicare payment update of at least 10 percent in 2010 as a catch-up for the last 7 years of inadequate updates;
• CMA will support a new Medicare physician payment system that allows physicians to voluntarily select a payment track based on five options that reflect their mode of practice. The five options include a solo/small group physician track that pays physicians based on the Medicare Economic Index, a medical home track, and a track that allows physicians to organize into virtual or real groups to coordinate care and receive bonus payments based on the hospital savings they achieve in their region. The plan also allows physicians to privately contract with Medicare patients for certain services.
• CMA will advocate for physicians to be granted anti-trust relief to collectively negotiate contract terms with the private health plans.