5 Changes to the US Healthcare Delivery System

1. Payment Reform - for individual physicians and for larger, organized health care systems, ranging from bundled payments to payment adjustments for hospital-acquired conditions.
2. Primary and Preventative Care - reforms that provide incentives toward preventative care and strengthen the primary care system are also included in the ACA.
3. Measuring and Reporting Quality - to identify, update, and expand health quality measures; to publicly report.
4. Administrative Simplification - requires uniform electronic communication between providers and insurers.
5. Health Information Technology - the underlying framework for a streamlined, efficient health care system.

Notes: In addition to expanding coverage and insurance reforms, The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act also includes provisions for changing the healthcare delivery system in order to reduce costs and improve the quality of care. The five priority areas for these reforms are: payment, primary and preventive care, measuring and reporting quality, administrative simplification, and health information technology. By making coordinated improvements and the appropriate changes in each of these five areas, the ACA aims to improve the healthcare system as a whole and promote cost savings, improved quality of care and efficient delivery of services. Below is a general overview of these 5 areas of reform. Visit PayerFusion to download a Status Chart of the Affordable Care Act Reform.