has succeeded because it's collaborative, non-punitive and supported
by a payer with the vision of using shared data to improve care in
ways that make sense."
Using transparent data to reward surgical facilities based on per-
formance instead of case volume is where reimbursement models are
heading. "If you can decrease the incidence of expensive complica-
tions, you're going to save money," says Dr. Campbell. "That's a
straightforward trend that's not new, but it's certainly being empha-
sized more."
Surgery is on the brink of a new era that involves using smarter sys-
tems to make surgical care safer and more reliable, says Marty
Makary, MD, MPH, an associate professor of surgery and public health
at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Md.
"The opportunity exists for outpatient facilities to make the com-
pelling case that they offer high-quality care at a reasonable price," he
says. "In an increasingly
complex healthcare mar-
ket where facilities are
actively competing for
insurance contracts, the
strongest argument they
have is their value."
Savvy patients are also
shopping for meaningful
measures of quality,
affordable care. "You
must make active efforts
to stay competitive in
that space," says Dr.
Makary. "The ability of
J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 8 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y. N E T • 1 9
• EARNING POTENTIAL Payment models should reward top performance
instead of punishing adverse outcomes, according to Marty Makary, MD, MPH.
