Hospital doctors try new payment system

Physicians at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center have agreed to a new payment system with Blue Cross Blue Shield, in which they get paid a "global" amount based on their average number of patients, rather than per procedure - with bonuses for meeting certain quality and patient-satisfaction goals. Beth Israel CEO Paul Levy considers the effect on the medical center:

One of the impacts of this kind of contract will likely be a reduction in certain services provided by BIDMC, either eliminating them altogether or delivering them at lower cost sites in the community. This makes sense from a societal point of view, and we welcome that result. Our business plan is not based on carrying out more and more procedures per patient: It is to become the destination of choice for patients who truly need tertiary care, but who want it delivered in a safe, high quality, and efficient environment -- a place that can substantiate its progress on those fronts by publication of clinical outcomes and other metrics for all to see ... and a place that closely coordinates care with our clinical partners in the community.