Vern Buchanan Asks Witness About How To Incentivize Quality Healthcare For Medicare Recipients

yesterday

During a House Ways and Means Committee hearing prior to the congressional recess, Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL) discussed new approaches to paying healthcare providers.

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Transcript

00:00Mr. Fleece, let me ask you, you've built an enormous organization, Tampa Bay Area,

00:07obviously the biggest part in Sarasota County, my colleague's district, but I've

00:12watched your growth, your professionalism. What is the key to your success? I think

00:17you're one of the top facilities, organizations in the country, and so as

00:23you look back in your tenure, and I remember about 20 years ago you gave me

00:26a copy of your book, by the way, time goes by so quick. What's been the

00:31key to your success, or a couple of keys, with your organization? It's one of the

00:36best run organizations in the country. Thank you so much, Congressman, for

00:41that great question, and I too am extremely proud of Empath Health as we

00:45serve Central Florida, Southwest Florida, the East Coast of Florida, and as you

00:51stated, over 12,000 patients a day in our care. I think number one, the

00:57secret of our success is always put the patient first to everything that we do.

01:03The staff are also mission-critical, because if we are not investing in

01:08taking care of our staff, we will not have workers to care for ultimately the

01:13patients. As I have already stated, we understand within our industry that we

01:19as a country are in challenging economic budget times. It is critical

01:25that we look at this as a return on investment conversation. Hospice care has

01:32shown over and over and over again that it will ultimately reduce Medicare

01:38spending. 25% of the Medicare spend is spent in the last six months of Medicare

01:45beneficiaries life. 25% of that 25%, 10 to 15%, a small component is spent on

01:55hospice care. If we look at this as a return on investment conversation, there

02:00is so much that can be done around home-based care, so that we are getting

02:04patients and families out of an institutional environment where they do

02:09not want to die, where they can be cared better for to reduce hospital

02:14readmissions, so that we can continue to expand care in the home. You touched on

02:21performance to pay. I know being in business 30 years before I got up here,

02:25that was a big premise of mine, is trying to make sure we tied the behavior to

02:31what we were trying to incentivize people. Can you explain what you mean by

02:35that from your perspective? Yes, Mr. Chairman, Congressman, Chairman. If you

02:42look at the current star rating system that is prevalent in Medicare today, it

02:47is one that does not adequately pay for performance the providers that are

02:53that are providing care for patients today. We would certainly advocate that

02:59for those organizations that have higher star ratings, that they get paid more

03:04under the reimbursement system. That would be one model of a pay for

03:07performance. We also stand proudly behind taking risk through our PACE

03:14programs, programs for all-inclusive care for the elderly, where we are ultimately

03:19caring for those that would otherwise be in a nursing home, and receive both the

03:23Medicaid and the Medicare component for our PACE programs. And we become

03:28responsible for that performance. We become responsible for making sure that

03:33they have the right care, right place, right time. And finally, Chairman, Mr.

03:38Chairman, I would advocate that those that are not reporting their survey

03:44scores, to avoid scrutiny. Be rooted out. Because much of the fraud and much of

03:50the profiteering that we are seeing in America today, that we know the

03:57special focus program was proposed to address, are not submitting their

04:03survey scores. That is a required, so that those of us that are providing

04:07high-quality care can continue to focus on our mission.

04:11My last question is on preventative care. That's really my focus with this

04:17committee as much as I can. Don't get sick in the first place. I mean, you get

04:21sick at some point. But my point is, you touched on that too, preventative

04:25care. What does that mean with your organization, with your patients, people

04:30that use your facilities? Thank you, Mr. Chairman. So many of what we are talking

04:37about today is how we can improve outcomes for reduced cost. And

04:42ultimately, that will be part of what Congress faces in its upcoming budget

04:48discussions, I am sure. One of the concepts around thinking and delivering

04:55health care differently is the more that we focus on prevention versus being

05:00reactive, and the more we focus on wellness versus sickness, there is a

05:06return on that investment. That will help balance this nation's budget. Thank you.

Vern Buchanan Asks Witness About How To Incentivize Quality Healthcare For Medicare Recipients

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