The Affordable Care Act includes a number of policies to help physicians, hospitals, and other caregivers improve the safety and quality of patient care and make health care more affordable. In October 2012 Medicare began rewarding hospitals that provide high quality care for their patients through the new Hospital Value-Based Purchasing Program. This program marks the beginning of an historic change in how Medicare pays health care providers and facilities. For the first time, hospitals across the country will be paid for inpatient acute care services based on care quality, not just the quantity of the services they provide.
Below are two articles to learn more about this program. The first article is on heathcare.gov and outlines the program details. The second article appeared in the New York Times tuesday edition Science Time and highlights the lengths to which hospitals are going to increase patient satisfaction.
Read the healthcare.gov article here
Read the New York Times article here
