The American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (¶¶Òô´ó¹Ï) believes every American should have timely access to quality, affordable health care. This should include medically necessary primary care, specialty care and preventive services, such as colonoscopy screening for colorectal cancer. Payment for medical services should encourage delivery of high quality, cost-effective care.
Based on these core principles of patient-centered care, ¶¶Òô´ó¹Ï has identified key elements that will guide our positions on policy proposals to reform the current healthcare system. ¶¶Òô´ó¹Ï will support proposals that:
- Improve the current health care insurance system in a manner such that access to affordable coverage is maximized. Barriers to obtaining needed health care services should be minimized, including for those with pre-existing conditions.
- Are pursued without creating uncertainty in the insurance marketplace and with as little disruption as possible to health care providers and consumers, including protection against loss of insurance coverage.
- Preserve patient-physician decision making and eliminate all barriers to providing evidence-based preventive services such as colon cancer screening.
- Are developed in a transparent manner with adequate stakeholder input and are implemented after they have proven successful in demonstration projects. Promote care coordination and use of appropriate guidelines.
- Recognize the potential value of physician-owned facilities in supporting cost-effective, efficient alternative payment models.
- Contain medical liability reform that protect providers who base clinical decisions on guidelines and evidence-based medicine.
- Minimize regulatory burdens to enable providers to spend more time providing patient-centered care.
- Identify cost-saving measures to serve as alternatives to budget neutrality. Recognize that fairly compensated physician services may enhance quality outcomes and save money in drug, imaging and hospital services. The concept of creating artificial zero-sum financial parameters by which one group of providers must be penalized so that another group benefits works against fostering a culture of collaboration and care coordination among providers.
Approved by ¶¶Òô´ó¹Ï Governing Board May 2019