Refining The Framework For Payment Reform

There is broad consensus that physician and other provider payment methods need to evolve from rewarding “volume” to promoting “value.” But what that means exactly, and what will be the recipe for success, is yet to be determined. It’s a complicated and messy process, as no method is ever implemented in isolation—either one at a time or in a vacuum—and many payment methods do not yet have a sufficient track record to help us prioritize among them. Therefore, we need to tread carefully and experiment while amassing evidence so that one day we can promote payment methods based on ample road testing.