AdvaMed, the medical device lobbying group, told CMS it is concerned that proposed regulations for accountable care organizations would allow ACOs to use less effective medical technologies because of the cost savings, according to a report by DOTMed News.
AdvaMed laid out its concerns in a letter to CMS before the comment period for the proposed rules ended on June 6. The lobbying group said possible waivers for ACOs on some aspects of civil monetary penalty, anti-kickback and self-referral statutes appeared to be too broad.
To address its concerns, AdvaMed recommended the following changes in the ACO regulations:
• Create an independent watchdog comparing utilization of services between ACO beneficiaries and non-ACO beneficiaries to ensure ACOs would not be skimping on appropriate services.
• Require that beneficiaries give their full consent to chosen services.
• Ensure that gainsharing distributions are based on team efforts and not just cost-savings by individual physicians.
• Protect early adopters of new technology when ACOs set up their three-year plans for savings.
Read the DOTMed News report on accountable care organizations.
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