Week 4 Discussion- Healthcare Finance
3 months ago
10
Week4DiscussionInstructions-LawandEtthicsinHealthcare.docx
Week4LearningResources-LawandEthicsinHealthcare.docx
Week4DiscussionInstructions-LawandEtthicsinHealthcare.docx
Law and Ethics in Healthcare
Week 4 Discussion
Healthcare Reimbursement and Utilization Management
Accountable care organizations (ACOs) are designed to promote value and quality in healthcare. They use new payment and delivery models that include incentives to improve care coordination and utilization management. With these models, ACOs contract with private insurers and/or Medicare to receive reimbursement, and then the ACO determines how to contract with physicians and other medical providers to provide healthcare services to patients. Since not all providers are direct employees of ACOs, there are potential challenges with reimbursing the affiliated providers in a way to maximize efficiency, increase quality, and lower utilization. For this Discussion, examine the following scenario and recommend strategies for reimbursement and utilization management.
Strategies for Reimbursement and Utilization Management Scenario
Medicare and private payers have expanded reimbursement under Accountable Care Organizations, ACO. You are the chief financial officer, CFO, of a hospital system that is forming an ACO to participate in these payment models. The ACO seeks to improve care coordination for its patients with chronic conditions. To provide better care management, the ACO is interested in investing in primary care physicians and physician assistants to provide more intensive care management services. After formation, the ACO will enter contracts with Medicare and private insurers under alternative payment models, including shared savings, bundled payments, and global capitation. The ACO will need to determine how to set up reimbursement payments to ACO providers and consider whether financial incentives are required to ensure ACO providers deliver efficient care.
To prepare for this Discussion:
· Review the provided scenario and the Learning Resources.
· Consider strategies for reimbursement and utilization management, including financial incentives.
· How might you set up the reimbursement payments to ACO providers, considering the alternative payment models (i.e., fee for service, shared savings, bundled payments, or global capitations)?
· What utilization management controls might you add to align the interests of ACO providers?
Post a cohesive response to the following:
· As the CFO of the ACO in the provided scenario: propose recommended strategies for reimbursement and utilization management.
· Defend your recommendations.
Support your response by identifying and explaining key points and/or examples presented in the Learning Resources.
Week4LearningResources-LawandEthicsinHealthcare.docx
Law and Ethics in Healthcare
Week 4 Learning Resources
Required Learning
· Getzen, T. E., & Kobernick, M. S. (2022). Health economics & financing (6th ed.). Wiley.
· Chapter 5, “Physicians” (pp. 98–114)
· Chapter 6, “Medical Education, Organization, and Business Practices” (pp. 116–134)
· Pink, G. H., & Song, P. H. (2020). Gapinski’s understanding healthcare financial management (8th ed.). Health Administration Press.
· Chapter 3, “Payments to Providers” (pp. 69–102)
· Lin, M. P., Revette, A., Carr, B. G., Richardson, L. D., Wiler, J. L., & Schuur, J. D. (2020). Effect of accountable care organizations on emergency medicine payment and care redesign: A qualitative studyLinks to an external site. . Annals of Emergency Medicine, 75(5), 597–608. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annemergmed.2019.09.010
· Lubarsky, D. A., French, M. T., Gitlow, H. S., Rosen, L. F., & Ullmann, S. G. (2019). Why money alone can’t (always) “nudge” physicians: The role of behavioral economics in the design of physician incentivesLinks to an external site. . Anesthesiology, 130(1), 154–170. https://doi.org/10.1097/ALN.0000000000002373
· Mathew, R., & Cox, M. M. (2022). Nurse practitioners and barriers to practice in primary careLinks to an external site. . Journal of the New York State Nurses Association, 49(2), 12–15.
· Messina-Santiago, R., & Elliott, I. (2022). Better together? The future of primary care physicians and advanced practice providersLinks to an external site. . Family Doctor: A Journal of the New York State Academy of Family Physicians, 11(1), 18–20.
· Slater, B. J., Collings, A. T., Corvin, C., & Kandel, J. J. (2022). Value-based surgery physician compensation model: Review of the literatureLinks to an external site. . Journal of Pediatric Surgery, 57(9), 118–123. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2022.01.009
Required Media
Walden University, LLC. (2024). Supply of healthcare services [Video]. Walden University Canvas. https://waldenu.instructure.com