Payment Reform to Enhance Collaboration of Primary Care and Cardiology: A Review.

Importance: The US health care system faces an unsustainable trajectory of high costs and inconsistent outcomes. The fee-for-service payment model has contributed to inefficiency, and new payment methods are a promising approach to improving value. Health reforms are needed to increase patient access, reduce costs, and improve health care quality, and the landmark Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act presents a roadmap for reform.

Health policy basics: the Physician Payment Sunshine Act and the Open Payments program.

The Open Payments program is a government initiative through which financial relationships between applicable industries and covered physicians or teaching hospitals are publicly reported. The program does not assess these relationships but rather facilitates transparency and allows stakeholders to use this information in making informed decisions. This article outlines the program and its goals, reviews its requirements and when they go into effect, examines the implications for physicians and their patients, and makes recommendations to help physicians and teaching hospitals prepare for its implementation.