MedPAC on Health IT
This article was originally published in The Gray Sheet
Executive Summary
"By rewarding a quality product, Medicare, in its purchaser role, could provide incentives" for healthcare information technology adoption, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission states in its 1June report to Congress. Quality incentives would help counter current barriers to IT uptake, including "payment systems that tie reimbursement to the volume of services delivered," a chapter notes. "Further research is needed to better understand what types of IT applications are most useful for improving care in different settings," the report acknowledges. MedPAC says it will "continue to work on this issue," referring to the chapter as a "first step"...