A New Payment Model for Quality: Why Care Now?

The PROMETHEUS Payment® model is designed explicitly to reward clinical collaboration among otherwise independent providers. Since 30% of any provider’s scores will turn on the performance of all the other providers treating the patient for that condition, and scores determine the totality of the payment a provider can receive, there is a real reason to pay attention to the web of referral relationships – from whom you take referrals, to whom and where you refer. Even when the optimal moment for referral occurs would be an important point for agreement among clinicians – whether primary care to specialty, vice versa or among specialists. In fact, much of what PROMETHEUS Payment® would reward, providers should be doing anyway. In her article “A New Payment Model for Quality: Why Care Now?” Alice articulates some of the steps providers should be taking anyway to improve their care and their efficiency.