Physicians: Apply for CMS’ Blue Ribbon Task Force on Health Care Costs and Quality

Monday, October 27, 2014 08:20 AM

Deadline extended to Dec. 12

In September, the CMS board of directors voted to create a Blue Ribbon Task Force on Health Care Costs and Quality and CMS has placed a call for members to join this task force. The group will engage the state’s Commission on Affordable Health Care - which has been directed by the Colorado General Assembly to identify systemic and other underlying causes of excessive and unnecessary health care costs and to propose specific legislative, regulatory, and market-based strategies to reduce costs and improve quality.

Additionally, the CMS task force will develop evidenced-based proposals to reduce cost and improve quality, respond to and seek a physician consensus on proposals submitted by third parties to the commission, and report to CMS members on the work of the commission and the task force.

The task force must be multi-specialty and representative of the multiple practice types: small groups, medium and large multi- and single-specialty practices, and hospital employed settings. Task force members preferably should have extensive experience in care delivery management, such as how care is priced, billed and delivered at a high value.

Interested physicians must be willing to commit to a three-year term that parallels the statutory life of the state’s commission. CMS expects to call a minimum of four meetings in 2015. Each of these meeting will be conducted on a weekday evening at CMS headquarters in Denver, include meals, and last for two to three hours.

Click here to access an online application form. The deadline to submit your application has been extended to Dec. 12.