Physician Payment Reform: Congress's Turn
Authors: Robert A. Berenson
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1989)

Editorials1 September 1989Physician Payment Reform: Congress's TurnRobert A. Berenson, MDRobert A. Berenson, MDSearch for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-111-5-351 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptThe Physician Payment Review Commission (PPRC), created by law in 1986 to advise Congress on reforming methods for Medicare payments to physicians, issued its third annual report on 28 April 1989. The major recommendations are briefly summarized in the following excerpt from the Commission's report (1):To rationalize the pattern of payments by Medicare, the Commission proposes a Medicare Fee Schedule based primarily on resource costs. To limit beneficiary financial liability, it recommends limits on balance billing. To control the growth in expenditures, the Commission proposes the use of expenditure targets, increased research on the effectiveness of medical...References1. LeeGinsburgLeRoyHammons PPLG. The Physician Payment Review Commission Report to Congress. JAMA. 1989;261:2382-5. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. Iglehart J. The recommendations of the Physician Payment Review Commission. N Engl J Med. 1989;320:1156-60. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Roper W. Perspectives on physician-payment reform. The resource-based relative-value scale in context. N Engl J Med. 1988;319:865-7. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Berenson R. Physician payment reform: finally [Editorial]. Ann Intern Med. 1987;107:929-31. LinkGoogle Scholar5. HadleyBerenson JR. Seeking the just price: constructing relative value scales and fee schedules. Ann Intern Med. 1987;106:461-6. LinkGoogle Scholar6. Hadley J. Theoretical and empirical foundations of the resource based value scale: fact and fancy. In: Frech T, ed. Regulating Doctors' Fees: Competition, Benefits, and Controls under Medicare. Washington, D.C.: American Enterprise Institute Press; [In press]. Google Scholar7. ShermanSegal SM. AMA policy on the Resource-Based Relative Value scale and related issues. A summary of the AMA Board of Trustees Report AA. JAMA. 1989;261:2386-8. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar8. HsiaoBraunDunn WPD. Results and policy implications of the resource-based relative value study. N Engl J Med. 1988;319:881-8. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar9. Physician payment reform under Medicare-1989: implications for beneficiaries. Washington, D.C.: Health Policy Alternatives, Inc.; 1988. Available from Health Policy Alternatives, Inc., 122 C Street NW, Suite 820, Washington, D.C. 20001. Google Scholar10. HolahanZuckerman JS. Medicare mandatory assignment: an unnecessary risk? Health Aff. 1989;8:65-79. CrossrefGoogle Scholar11. FeldmanSloan RF. Competition among physicians, revisited. J Health Polit. Policy Law. 1988;13:239-61. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar12. Blendon R. The public's view of the future of health care. JAMA. 1988;259:3587-93. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar13. EvansLomasBarer RJM. Controlling health expenditures—the Canadian reality. N Engl J Med. 1989;320:571-77. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar14. ChasinKosecoffPark MJR. Does inappropriate use explain geographic variations in the use of health services? JAMA. 1987;258:2533-7. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar15. GluckWagnerDuffy MJB. The use of preventive services by the elderly. Paper 2, Preventive Health Services Under Medicare. Office of Technology Assessment, U.S. Congress. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office; 1989. Google Scholar This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: Robert A. Berenson, MDAffiliations: PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics 1 September 1989Volume 111, Issue 5Page: 351-353KeywordsMedicare ePublished: 1 December 2008 Issue Published: 1 September 1989 PDF downloadLoading ...