BWPO’s Chief Medical Officer Andrew Sussman, MD, MBA and MGPO’s Chairman and CEO David Torchiana, MD have been instrumental in advancing an important piece of legislation through the Joint Health Care Committee to its current status under review from the House Ways and Means Committee.
The bill entitled “An Act to Improve Timely Payment and Quality, Delivery and Access to Physician Care in the Commonwealth,” is intended to monitor and improve the state of physician practices in the Commonwealth and to improve the quality of patient care.
Highlights of the legislation include:
• Timely payments to health care providers, including physicians and medical practices;
• Creation of a statewide physicians advisory council to examine and monitor the state of physician practice in the Commonwealth and the impact on patient care;
• Establishing innovative approaches to improving patient care for Medicaid and GIC patients; and
• Improved Medicaid rates for physicians and medical practices.
Sussman and Torchiana met with Majority Leader Rep. Salvatore DiMasi (D-Boston), lead House sponsor of the bill, in late December for assistance in securing a favorable report on the legislation from the House Ways and Means Committee as it completes a fiscal analysis of the proposed legislation. The legislation’s lead Senate sponsor is Frederick E. Berry (D-Peabody). Next steps include working to secure a favorable report from the Ways and Means Committee and a vote by the full House, as well as passage in the Senate before formal sessions come to an end later this year.