HFMA News – Dec. 15, 2008.

At the request of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies (IOM) has prepared a report titled HHS in the 21st Century assessing whether the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) is ?ideally organized? to meet the health challenges facing our nation…  Click title to read more…

The report recommends that the HHS Secretary work with Congress to ensure that the department?s programs and reimbursement policies are outcomes-based, reflecting the best available evidence of value and creating incentives for the adoption of best practices, including integration of care, in order to improve quality and efficiency.

Another recommendation is that the HHS Secretary work with Congress to establish a capability for assessing the comparative value–including clinical and cost effectiveness–of medical interventions and procedures, preventive and treatment technologies, and methods of organizing and delivering care. This recommendation, while approved by a majority of the committee issuing the report, failed to gain unanimous consensus.

Read the report brief and summary of recommendations to Congress.

Source : http://www.hfma.org/hfmanews/PermaLink,guid,4631267c-988a-426a-96c0-e62c64468b82.aspx