CMS Value-Based Purchasing to Reward Hospitals for Performance

The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued proposed rules for value-based purchasing (VBP) that link payment to how effectively hospitals deliver high quality care. The proposed rules also present incentives for implementing electronic health records and payment adjustments based on rates of hospital-acquired conditions and readmission rates. The measures are a subset of those CMS adopted for its existing Medicare Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting Program. The initial proposed clinical measures are targeted at improving outcomes for acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, and for reducing health care-associated infections. The program also measures patient experience . . .