The American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons commended the Trump administration for issuing a report that outlined policies to increase choice and competition in healthcare.
Here are four details:
1. Published Dec. 4, "Reforming American's Healthcare System Through Choice and Competition," states competitive market forces drive innovation, which often raises quality and decreases prices.
2. The report cites a 2000 Medicare study that analyzed data from more than 500,000 Medicare beneficiaries and found 1.5 percent of heart attack sufferers had a higher chance of dying one-year post treatment if they received care at a hospital in a noncompetitive market.
3. To increase healthcare competition, the report proposed policies including:
• Lifting restrictions on physician-owned hospitals
• Repealing or decreasing certificate-of-need laws
• Payment reform and site neutrality
• Limiting non-compete clauses
4. "In coordination, these critical changes to our current system will promote the patient choice and competition we desperately need," AAOS President David A. Halsey, MD, said in a statement. "The AAOS is pleased to see these Administration recommendations echo our own initiatives, and we stand ready to aid both agencies and lawmakers in accomplishing this goal."