Eric Fader was quoted in a January 30 article, "Trump health care order a 'signal'; Price vague on ACA replacement details in hearings," in DecisionHealth's newsletter Part B News. In the article, Eric discussed what changes Tom Price, the Georgia congressman nominated to serve as Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, might implement if confirmed.

"I think it's safe to say Price will tend to favor whatever actions will reduce the overall burden on physicians, and that is likely to include killing mandatory bundling programs like CJR," Eric said, referring to the new Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement reimbursement model for Medicare beneficiaries. But Eric said he doesn't expect Price to reverse course on other value-based reimbursement initiatives, as they "will be critical to reducing costs to the health care system over the long term."

Eric also guessed that Price may not scale back the "meaningful use" requirements currently embodied in the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA), discussed here, because continued movement toward universal use and interoperability of electronic health records (EHRs) is an essential part of the transition to value-based care. "I don't see those provisions of MACRA that deal with EHRs going away, even though they do impose administrative burdens on physicians," Eric concluded.

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