MMA News
HHS Secretary Visits MMA
Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt met with Minnesota physicians last month at the MMA’s Minneapolis offices about the state of health care quality and transparency here and across the country. This is the second time during the past few months that Leavitt has visited Minnesota. In August, he and President Bush came to Minnesota to launch an initiative to foster cost and quality transparency in health care. Since then, Leavitt has been visiting large employers and state medical associations.
Leavitt and the Bush administration are advocating what they call a “value-based” health care system, in which doctors and hospitals succeed by providing the best value for their patients—defined as high quality for a low price.
Leavitt said three things need to happen for such a system to become a reality. Providers must start using electronic medical record systems and publishing quality and cost data; and patients, providers, and payers must create a payment system that rewards the quality, rather than the quantity, of care given.
Leavitt said patients need to have access to information about the cost and quality of health care services, and he commended the MMA for its efforts to champion quality. “We ought to give patients the best quality information available and let them decide,” he said.
Leavitt noted that the order the President signed during his August visit is already causing federal agencies, which purchase 40 percent of U.S. health care services, to use their buying power to help create a value-based system.
Common Ground MMA President G. Richard Geier, M.D., said the meeting was a valuable opportunity for doctors. “He’s an important player nationally, and Minnesota groups are important players nationally, so for us to get together was good.” He also said the secretary’s comments aligned with MMA positions on the need for electronic medical record systems, patients having a medical home, and a more rational, coordinated health care system. “Largely, we are in agreement in terms of intent and direction. It is the ‘how’ that we both are trying to figure out,” Geier said.
However, Geier does believe the federal government has slowed the widespread adoption of electronic medical records by not providing universal standards or being clear about whether it will subsidize providers who use them. Leavitt said the government has recently created a system by which it gives certain software systems a stamp of approval for interoperability. He was not optimistic that it would provide significant subsidies.
During the meeting, physicians expressed concern that in the absence of meaningful measures payers will rely on the volume of procedures done at a facility, which doesn’t really indicate quality. Leavitt responded by saying such concerns are why physicians, insurers, and employers need to work together to create quality measures.
“We’re not very good at measuring quality yet,” Leavitt said. “But we can get better at it.”
As for when a value-based health care system may become a reality, Leavitt said, “In two years, you will begin to see in limited ways value-based competition in selected markets around the country.” He expects it would take at least 10 years for nationwide adoption of such a system, a goal he said needs to be achieved if the United States is to stay competitive.
Rising health care costs are hampering the ability of American companies to compete, Leavitt said. He is concerned that the percent of the U.S. gross domestic product spent on health care, currently about 16 percent, has been increasing in recent years. “There’s no place on the economic leader board for a country that spends 25 percent of its gross domestic product on health care,” he said.
MMA physicians at the meeting included Michael Ainslie, M.D., MMA Board chair; James J. Dehen, M.D., MMA president-elect; Peter Dehnel, M.D.; G. Richard Geier, M.D., MMA president; Dionne Hart, M.D.; Kurt Hoppe, M.D.; John Larsen, M.D., speaker of the MMA House; Teresa McCarthy, M.D.; Robert Meiches, M.D., MMA CEO; George Schoephoerster, M.D.; and Margaret Spartz, M.D.
Make Time for Capitol Rounds
Starting in 2007, the MMA will offer Capitol Rounds, an opportunity for physicians to spend a day of their choosing at the Capitol. The program will offer members a new opportunity to become involved in advocacy efforts. “We know physicians have busy schedules, so we wanted to give them a chance to visit the Capitol at their own convenience,” says Julian Locke Micko, MMA manager of grassroots advocacy.
Capitol Rounds is different from the annual MMA Day at the Capitol because it offers members a more personal experience. Day at the Capitol typically brings more than 100 physicians to the Capitol to receive advocacy training, meet with lawmakers, and rally together. Capitol Rounds allows members to ask questions privately, talk to their representatives about hot-button issues, and connect with MMA lobbyists. MMA staff will set up meetings with lawmakers and act as a guide for the day.
“This program will provide a more in-depth, individualized approach to advocacy for our members, and it will show legislators that physicians are always thinking about the policies that impact medicine,” Micko says. This program is available on a first-come, first-served basis Tuesdays through Thursdays from the beginning of January to the end of May. Small groups are welcome. Contact Micko by e-mail (jlockemicko@mnmed.org) or phone (612/362.3745) to schedule a meeting.
MMA Introduces Association Sponsors Program
The MMA has launched a new program to recognize businesses supporting the Minnesota physician community.
Association sponsors are partnering with the MMA to gain visibility and champion quality health care in Minnesota. Sponsors gain the opportunity to interact with physicians at MMA meetings and educational sessions. Not only do sponsors offer exceptional products and services to physicians across the state, they also stand by physicians in their efforts to improve the health of all Minnesotans.
Please take a moment to visit the MMA Association Sponsors Web page www.mmaonline.net/ marketplace/associationsponsors.