For the first time, the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services and America's Health Insurance Plans agreed on how to measure physician quality in seven areas, according to The Washington Post.
Here are five points:
1. The new measures are intended to help payers determine the value of care physicians provide, which will dictate payment.
2. Because payers will require the same request for quality data, physicians will have less paperwork weighing them down. Thus, physicians can focus on patient care over administrative tasks.
3. The uniform rates also will help patients compare and choose physicians.
4. Some of the seven areas which measure physician's quality include how well primary physicians control patients' high blood pressure and how well physicians treating patients hospitalized for heart failure prevent readmissions.
5. The American Medical Association, various medical groups, patient advocacy organizations and the insurance industry applauded the agreement.
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