Phasing Out Fee-for-Service Payment

The National Commission on Physician Payment Reform recommends phasing out fee-for-service and outlines strategies to change the model during the transition. The commission advises revision of fee schedules so that evaluation and management are valued as highly as procedures. In March 2012, the Society of General Internal Medicine convened the National Commission on Physician Payment Reform to recommend forms of payment that would maximize good clinical outcomes, enhance patient and physician satisfaction and autonomy, and provide cost-effective care. The formation of the commission was spurred by the recognition that the level of spending on health care in the United States is unsustainable, that the return on investment is poor, and that the way physicians are paid drives high medical expenditures. The commission began by examining factors driving the high level of expenditures in the U.S. health care system. It . . .