Although a physician shortage appeared from the 1920s to 1960s, between 1970 and 1980 the ratio of actively practicing doctors to patients increased by 50 percent, which in turn caused the creation of The Graduate Medical Education National Advisory Committee (GMENAC), who recommended that medical schools reduce the size of their entering classes by 17 percent to deal with the surplus.  (Read more...) 

In May 2012, The Medicare Physician Payment Innovation Act of 2012 was introduced with the aim of eliminating Medicare's Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR), the payment system component long criticized for the uneven results it has produced in setting physician payment rates under Medicare. With widespread provider support and bipartisan sponsorship, the bill may pose the best chance at reforming the existing volume-driven payment system into one that rewards value instead.   (Read more...) 

A study recently released by the Harvard School of Public Health indicates that hospitals' participation in pay-for-performance (P4P) incentive programs is unlikely to produce meaningful improvement in patient outcomes. Similar findings were seen for care coordination's effect on spending and disease management, which could stifle many government programs utilizing financial incentives.  (Read more...)