In a step forward for the healthcare industry’s push toward value-based care (VBC), on July 27, a bipartisan group of representatives introduced the Value in Health Care Act of 2023—a bill intended to incentivize more providers and healthcare organizations to adopt VBC models.

The legislation builds on the Value in Health Care Act of 2021 and makes a number of changes to Medicare’s alternative payment models (APMs), which were designed to make it easier for providers to participate in payment models that incentivize the quality of care given over the quantity of services provided.

An APM is any payment model that differs from the traditional fee-for-service model, in which providers are paid for each individual service they perform, according to Brent Nicholson, co-founder and chief partner officer at healthcare services company Carrum Health.

“What this really translates to is providers taking more control and ownership of the outcomes, and ultimately, the financial risk associated with the reimbursement for healthcare services,” Nicholson told Healthcare Brew.

Keep reading here.—MA

Do you work in healthcare or have information about the industry that we should know? Email Maia at [email protected]. For confidential conversations, ask Maia for her number on Signal.

Getting a full picture of heart health involves a whole lot of factors. We’re talkin’ exercise, diet, and genetic cardiovascular risk factors—like lipoprotein(a), aka Lp(a).

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Testing Lp(a) levels give vital insights into heart health, enabling early intervention and personalized strategies to reduce the risk of heart disease.

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Try it for yourself to hone in on heart health.

Future physicians studying obstetrics and gynecology (ob-gyn) in abortion-restricted or total ban states can now take advantage of new virtual abortion care training—but they may still have to travel to another state for hands-on residency training.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) announced earlier this month that it has collaborated with other groups to provide free virtual training modules to residents enrolled in accredited ob-gyn programs.

The web-based Patient-centered Abortion Care Education (PACE) curriculum features seven hours of content, including interactive videos, simulations, and evaluations, and it focuses on the general principles of abortion care; best practices in pregnancy options and abortion counseling; provision of safe, high-quality abortion care; and early pregnancy loss care.

Keep reading here.—SY

Do you work in healthcare or have information about the industry that we should know? Email Shannon at [email protected]. For confidential conversations, ask Shannon for her number on Signal.

Wondering who got a new job or what new positions healthcare companies have filled recently? Healthcare Brew’s got you covered. Each month we’ll highlight some of the major job changes in the healthcare industry as part of our new Movers and Shakers series.

Have a job announcement to share? Drop Shannon an email at [email protected].

Movers and Shakers

Kurt Barwis: The American Hospital Association (AHA) elected the president and CEO of Connecticut-based Bristol Health to its board of trustees for a three-year term beginning January 1, 2024.

Steve Behm: Real Chemistry, which provides artificial intelligence (AI)-driven insights and communications for the healthcare industry, named the former Edelman executive as its practice leader for crisis communications and corporate reputation.

Keep reading here.—SY

Today’s top healthcare reads.

Stat: One in six Americans have medical debt that’s been sent to collections, according to the Urban Institute think tank. (HelpAdvisor)

Quote: “This needs to be about the reduction of total cost of care. Just saying, ‘Hey, everyone with a BMI over 30 should go on a GLP-1,’ doesn’t make sense.”—Rajesh Aggarwal, the founder and CEO of Twenty30 Health, a metabolic and obesity care tech company, on the economic value of using injectable weight loss drugs (Healthcare Brew)

Read: Covid-19 is still spreading, and the nation continues to grapple with how to live with the disease. (the New York Times)

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