Statement attributed to:
Robert M. Wah, MD
President, American Medical Association
“The American Medical Association (AMA) commends the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for recognizing that there should not be a ‘one size fits all’ approach to Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) in its new rules for the Medicare Shared Savings Program.
“Maintaining an ACO model that does not require repayment of financial losses will allow many physicians to gain experience analyzing data, improving care coordination and identifying opportunities to improve patient care while reducing spending, which will help prepare them for the implementation of the recent MACRA legislation.
“The AMA believes the ACO program will be most successful if physicians in each specialty can design and be paid in ways that give them the flexibility to deliver the best care for their patients and allow them to take accountability for the aspects of quality and spending they can manage.
“We encourage CMS to accelerate efforts to accept and approve physician-designed alternative delivery and payment models in addition to its efforts to expand the ACO program.”
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About the American Medical Association
The American Medical Association is the physicians’ powerful ally in patient care. As the only medical association that convenes 190+ state and specialty medical societies and other critical stakeholders, the AMA represents physicians with a unified voice to all key players in health care. The AMA leverages its strength by removing the obstacles that interfere with patient care, leading the charge to prevent chronic disease and confront public health crises and, driving the future of medicine to tackle the biggest challenges in health care.
