Innovation in medicine is best described as “working for the house of medicine, as one, by putting our specialty hats aside to provide quality patient care,” said NCMS member Gerald A. Maccioli, MD, FCCM, who serves as chair of the Quality Assurance and Performance Measures Committee at American Anesthesiology of North Carolina. He has dedicated his time and energy to emphasizing the importance of providing more collaborative care and ensuring that his fellow physicians have the tools and resources necessary to provide such care. From his own practice experience to his involvement on national committees, Dr. Maccioli seeks to inform his colleagues and the rest of the medical community about the significance of moving toward more value-driven healthcare.
Dr. Maccioli serves as committee chair for the AMA Innovators Committee, an advisory group of physicians with hands-on experience in developing and managing innovative care delivery and payment models. The Committee was formed in June 2011. “Our Committee members, who range from small-town family medicine physicians to an anesthesiologist practicing in a mid-size city, have learned from each others’ methods and best practices,” said Dr. Maccioli. “We’ve taken real models from different specialties and geographical areas to come together to improve quality measures and health care delivery.”
Recently the Committee participated in a national discussion between the Obama administration and health care leaders. Both parties discussed the importance of working together to address the barriers within the current health care delivery system. “The meeting allowed participating entities to discuss how the physician community can assist in instituting delivery and health care reform improvements while making our system more affordable and accountable,” said Dr. Maccioli.
The Committee also has published several “white papers” focusing on the principles of health care reform with a physician-centered approach and delivery reform with an integrated approach. They are currently in the process of publishing a third “white paper” that centers on financial reform. Those resources can be found here. Next, the Committee will continue to develop the resources that will help physicians meet health care reform as well as address the regulatory and legal burdens associated with the medical profession. “The best way to approach the changing health care system is to move forward, educate, and work against the barriers that impact how we practice,” said Dr. Maccioli. “The Committee is dedicated to assisting physicians meet those challenges.”
In addition to chairing the Innovators Committee, Dr. Maccioli is a member of the AMA Physician Consortium for Performance Improvement (PCPI), Anesthesiology and Critical Care Workgroup, a national, physician-led program dedicated to enhancing quality and patient safety. PCPI aims to bring patient-centered care, performance measurement, and quality improvement together. He also has served on the NCMS Physician Hospital Relations Task Force and the Accountable Care Task Force.
As Dr. Maccioli advocates on behalf of physicians in North Carolina and across the country, he understands the obstacles these changes may cause. “Through my involvement with the NCMS, the Innovators Committee, and PCPI, it is my hope that physicians and their practices will gain the knowledge they need to improve our health care system, and create a positive work environment,” said Dr. Maccioli. “It is my firm belief that improved quality and delivery measure implementation will lead to payment reform. However, to do so, physician engagement is necessary in building a health care system that is clinically sound and beneficial to physicians and their patients.”
To learn more about the accountable care efforts of the NCMS, click here.
