BC Advantage - 2006 Issue 12

Medicare to try `pay for performance'

WASHINGTON · After years of trying to rein in the runaway cost of the Medicare program, Congress has decided to use a carrot instead of a stick to change doctors' behavior.Doctors had been fearing a pay cut under Medicare, the health care program for 43 million elderly and disabled, but Congress instead has offered doctors a small bonus with big strings attached. To get the money, doctors will have to report how often they provide quality care, as defined by the government. Legislators approved the change as one of their final acts before adjourning early Saturday morning.The...

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