Where's the Value? TMA Warns Value-Based Purchasing Could Harm Patients' Access

A provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) requires the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to create a special modifier within the Medicare physician fee schedule that would adjust physician payments based on a measurement of cost and quality. They're calling it the "value-based purchasing modifier." The PPACA gives little detail on what factors will go into the cost and quality measurements, leaving it to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to make most of those decisions.