Assignment:
Case Study: Quality vs. Access
The Affordable Care Act raised the Medicaid reimbursement levels to Medicare levels, resulting in improved appointment availability for Medicaid recipients. One of the components of the Affordable Care Act now coming into effect is the reporting of quality measurements and tying these into reimbursement. Some of the measurements are subjective, such as patient satisfaction, while others are quantitative, such as percentage of patients with their diabetes under control. Patient adherence to treatment plans has been shown to be as low as 40%. Opponents of the rating system say this system will result in more difficult and low socio-economic group patients being turned away by providers.
? How could the payment system be modified to reward quality of care but not result in reduced access to those in lower socio-economic groups or with poorer health?