Medicare Payment for Physician Services
Authors: HEALTH AND PUBLIC POLICY COMMITTEE
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1987)

Position Paper1 January 1987Medicare Payment for Physician ServicesHEALTH AND PUBLIC POLICY COMMITTEEHEALTH AND PUBLIC POLICY COMMITTEESearch for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-106-1-151 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptIncreasing attention is being given by public policy-makers to alternative ways by which Medicare might pay for physician services. (1-13). Among the many approaches under consideration are modifying the existing fee-for-service system; establishing prospectively set rates for bundles of services, such as payment based on diagnosis-related groups; developing uniform fee schedules; paying fixed indemnity amounts; linking payments to relative value scales; paying on a capitation basis; or implementing a voucher system.This position paper first reviews the historical background of Medicare payment of physicians, then identifies fundamental principles and objectives that the American College of Physicians believes should apply. These...References1. . Payment for Physicians' Services, Report D (A-83) Council on Medical Service, Reference Committee G, Handbook for the House of Delegates. Chicago, Illinois: American Medical Association; 1983. Google Scholar2. BURNEYHICKMANPARADISESCHIEBER IPJG. Medicare physician payment, participation, and reform. Health Aff. 1984;3(4):5-24. CrossrefGoogle Scholar3. . 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Which rate is right? N Engl J Med. 1986;314:310-1. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar26. WENNBERGMCPHERSONCAPER JKP. Will payment based on diagnosis-related groups control hospital costs? N Engl J Med. 1984;311:295-300. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar27. BROOKWAREROGERS RJW. Does free care improve adults' health?—results from a randomized controlled trial. N Engl J Med. 1983;309:1426-34. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar28. OMENNCONRAD GD. Implications of DRGs for clinicians: sounding board. N Engl J Med. 1984;311:1314-7. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar29. MITCHELL J. Physician DRGs. N Engl J Med. 1985;313:670-75. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: AMERICAN COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS Philadelphia, Pennsylvania*This paper was developed for the Health and Public Policy Committee by the Health Care Financing Subcommittee: John M. Eisenberg, M.D., Chairman; Robert H. Brook, M.D.; Alan L. Gilbert, M.D.; Joyce C. Lashof, M.D.; and Ernest O. Theilen, M.D. Members of the Health and Public Policy Committee for the 1986-1987 term include Richard G. Farmer, M.D., Chairman; Michael A. Nevins, M.D., Chairman, Subcommittee on Aging; Richard B. Hornick, M.D., Chairman, CEA Subcommittee; Paul D. Stolley, M.D., Chairman, Clinical Pharmacology Subcommittee; Charles E. Lewis, M.D., Chairman, Health Care Delivery Subcommittee; John M. Eisenberg, M.D., Chairman, Health Care Financing Subcommittee; Malcolm L. Peterson, M.D., Chairman, Health Care Professions Subcommittee; Theodore C. Eickhoff, M.D., Chairman, Immunization Subcommittee; William L. Hughes, M.D., Chairman, State Health Policy Subcommittee; John R. Hogness, M.D., Member-at-large; Edward W. Hook, M.D., Member-at-large; and Mitchell Rabkin, M.D., Member-at-large. The principal author was Jack A. Ginsburg. This paper was adopted by the Board of Regents on 14 November 1986. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited byMedicare Payment Reform: What Are the Prospects for Internal Medicine?David J. Shulkin, MD, John M. Eisenberg, MDFinancing Long-Term CareTask force V: The Impact of current health policy trends on adult cardiologyThe Complete Blood Count and Physician PaymentJAMES M. MOSS, M.D. 1 January 1987Volume 106, Issue 1Page: 151-163KeywordsAgingClinical pharmacologyDiagnosis related groupsHealth careHealth care policyInsuranceMedicarePrevention, policy, and public healthPublic policy ePublished: 1 December 2008 Issue Published: 1 January 1987 Copyright & Permissions© 1987 American College of PhysiciansPDF downloadLoading ...