“The AAOS supports efforts by CMS to make appropriately structured alternative payment models available to physicians and other providers,” said David D. Teuscher, MD, president of AAOS. “In fact, may AAOS members have been leaders in developing, implementing and evaluating episode-of-care payments. However, infrastructural support is incomplete, Stage 2 meaningful use attestation is below 20 percent and EHR vendors have plagued practices with a lack of interoperability and errors. Until these glitches are addressed and highly reliable systems are in place, no further mandates — including the bundled payment model and meaningful use Stage 3 — should be initiated.”
The letter on the physician fee schedule also addresses the Physician Compare and Open Payments data website for physicians taking Medicare patients. CMS promised to continue expanding the data available on the Physician Compare website to include a five-star rating of each physician or practice to reflect performance under PQRS. CMS also proposes to make Open Payments data available on Physician Compare, which AAOS contends ignores “important differences between the two databases.”
AAOS recommended CMS refrain from publishing Open Payments data on Physician Compare.
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