Welcome
The Better Healthcare Policy Group began as an ad hoc meeting of senior healthcare executives and academic collaborators with a common interest in building on the success of the Medicare Advantage program. The original purpose of the group was to design a continuously improving model healthcare coverage, payment and delivery system that will provide more affordable, equitable, higher value, patient-centered care to all Americans while taking social determinants into account; and to communicate that vision to healthcare policy makers, executives, providers and the general public.
The Better Care Plan
In 2023 we published a white paper entitled: The Better Care Plan: a blueprint for improving America’s healthcare system. The Better Care Plan (“BCP”) has been developed to provide Americans with high quality, affordable health care. Key features of the BCP are the use of Better Care Teams to provide comprehensive, patient centered care without the perverse incentives of fee-for-service medicine, continuous quality improvement and Publicly Reported Health Outcomes (PRHOs) to empower purchasers to choose based on quality as well as cost.
The BCP is based on the authors’ extensive knowledge of and experience with the Medicare Advantage (MA) program and its predecessors, as well as advanced methods of organizing, paying for and providing health care. In recent years, MA has demonstrated its ability to provide better benefits and quality of care than Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) in many different markets. MA plans owe their success, in part, to selective provider networks, capitation and value-based provider reimbursement and utilization of team-care and integrated delivery systems, such as Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs).
Better Care Summit Dec. 5, 2024
Washington, DC
As a follow-up to our March 14 meeting and subsequent workgroups meetings to refine the model with an eye toward implementation, the Better Healthcare Policy Group will convene a meeting in Washington, DC on December 5 at which three workgroups – Better Care Certification; Value-based Reimbursement; and Patient Safety & Outcomes Reporting – will each report on their findings and recommendations. Additional sessions still under consideration are expected to address primary care innovation, the employer perspective and the role of technology.
Coalition for Better Care
The Coalition for Better Care is a collaborative effort in the formative stage involving various stakeholders in healthcare policy and practice. Members will support the Coalition’s mission by contributing expertise, sharing resources, and/or promoting the Better Care Plan. This includes allowing the use of their organization’s name and logo, offering policy advice, providing written materials, participating in public engagements, and facilitating outreach to other organizations. The Coalition keeps members informed through various channels and provides them with information and analysis related to healthcare regulation and legislation. Members agree to treat confidential information as such and understand that their participation is at the discretion of the Coalition.
in Memoriam
It is with deep regret that we learned of the passing on July 11 of our esteemed colleague. Dr. Gail Wilensky. She was a valued member of the Better Healthcare Policy Group since its formation in 2020. Her experience, broad knowledge of the US healthcare system and her critical thinking will be irreplaceable.
