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AMGA Ready to Work with Congress and to Lead Transition to Value-Based Health CareToday AMGA detailed its legislative agenda to the 115th Congress in a letter that emphasized the importance of continuing the shift to value-driven reimbursement in health care. The new Congress offers an opportunity for lawmakers to address a number of important issues in creating a pathway to value in health care. AMGA and its membership of 450 multispecialty medical groups and integrated delivery systems are prepared to be a resource to Congress as it addresses these priorities. "It is very clear that policymakers want to transform how health care is financed and provided," said Donald W. Fisher, Ph.D., CAE, AMGA's president and chief executive officer. "Our priorities are based on the need to address the obstacles that are preventing providers from succeeding in a risk-based system that values and rewards quality instead of the volume of services provided." Fisher continued, "Access to standardized claims data is of vital importance to providers. Without it, providers cannot reasonably care for and improve the health of a patient population." AMGA's letter specifically notes several key improvements that need to be made to fulfill the broadergoal of a value-based healthcare system:
The letter also details key improvements that should be made to help ensure a successful implementation of the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) and its new payment system, for which AMGA members have been diligently preparing:
In addition, AMGA emphasized to Congress how vital the in-office ancillary services (IOAS) exception within the Stark physician self-referral law is to multispecialty medical groups and integrated healthcare delivery systems. The letter also stressed the importance of preserving Medicare Advantage, ensuring appropriate healthcare coverage, and strengthening graduate medical education. About AMGA AMGA is a trade association leading the transformation of health care in America. Representing multispecialty medical groups and integrated systems of care, we advocate, educate, innovate, and empower our members to deliver the next level of high performance health. AMGA is the national voice promoting awareness of our members' recognized excellence in the delivery of coordinated, high-quality, high-value care. More than 175,000 physicians practice in our member organizations, delivering care to one in three Americans. For more information, visit amga.org
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