Medicare Doc Pay Models Stack Up; Panel Needs Agency Action

A federal advisory panel has recommended a variety of alternative payment models for doctors, but the Department of Health and Human Services hasn’t acted on any, leading to frustration with the process.

The Physician-Focused Payment Model Technical Advisory Committee (PTAC), which is charged with making recommendations to the HHS on the models, June 7 canceled its meeting scheduled for later this month. This was followed by a June 10 tweet storm that sought to make a point that the panel is still in business. Six proposals are under review, but “no proposals will be ready for final action in June,” ...