By Kip Sullivan, J.D.
The link below will take the reader to a March 28 letter from Kip Sullivan, J.D., to the Health and Welfare Committee of the Vermont Senate. It contains his reply to follow-up questions asked by several senators in the wake of his official testimony before them on March 24 in Montpelier, Vt.
The letter addresses questions such as the fee-for-service method of paying doctors; the overuse or underuse of health care; the impact of managed care programs (including HMOs) on quality of care; āpay for performanceā proposals; the role of prevention, disease management, electronic medical records, and quality improvement measures; and the likely role of āaccountable care organizationsā (ACOs). Sullivan’s letter contains extensive data and documentation and is therefore a valuable resource for anyone who is more broadly interested in these matters, not only as they apply to Vermont.
Kip Sullivan is a health policy researcher and member of the steering committee of the Minnesota chapter of Physicians for a National Health Program.