"RAND Corporation."

"The work was conducted in RAND Health"--Preface.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 45-54).

Introduction -- Study Purpose and Methods -- Summary of Findings -- Recommendations for Value-Based Purchasing Programs -- Conclusion -- Appendix: Program Design and Context Variables.

Value-based purchasing (VBP) refers to a broad set of performance-based payment strategies that link financial incentives to health care providers’ performance on a set of defined measures in an effort to achieve better value. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is advancing the implementation of VBP across an array of health care settings in the Medicare program in response to requirements in the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, and policymakers are grappling with many decisions about how best to design and implement VBP programs so that they are successful in achieving stated goals. This report summarizes the current state of knowledge about VBP programs, focusing on pay-for-performance programs, accountable care organizations, and bundled payment programs. The authors discuss VBP program goals and what constitutes success; the evidence on the impact of these programs; factors that characterize high- and low-performing providers in VBP programs; the measures, incentive structures, and benchmarks used by VBP programs; evidence on spillover effects and unintended consequences; and gaps in the knowledge base. The report concludes with a set of recommendations for the design, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation of VBP programs and a discussion of HHS’s efforts in this regard.

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Description based on online resource.