The American Society of Anesthesiologists’ (ASA) Perioperative Surgical Home (PSH) model of care’s ability to significantly improve patient care, quality and reduce costs, is being further supported by the recent actions of two organizations: 1) the support of the model by the American Urological Association (AUA); and 2) the acceptance of the model by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) as a 2018 Merit–based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) Improvement Activity.

The AUA supported the model this month, noting that urologists participating in the ASA’s PSH Learning Collaborative have expressed positive feedback about their experience in working together with other surgical providers and clinical staff when the decision for a patient’s surgery is made.

“The PSH model, which allows urology providers to improve efficiencies, decrease resource utilization, reduce length of stay and readmission and decrease complications – resulting in higher patient satisfaction, is a ‘win–win’ for urologists and their patients,” said AUA President J. Brantley Thrasher, MD, FACS.

The ASA partnered with Premier, Inc., a leading health care improvement company, in 2014 to establish a national learning collaborative to develop, pilot and evaluate the PSH model – a patient–centric, team–based system of coordinated care that guides patients through the entire surgical experience, from the decision to undergo surgery to discharge and beyond. The second iteration of the learning collaborative launched on April 1, 2016 and will conclude March 31, 2018.

Acceptance of the model by CMS as a 2018 MIPS Improvement Activity will automatically allow physicians participating in the PSH the ability to earn credit in the Improvement Activity category, one of four categories physicians can show they provided high quality, efficient care. The other three categories are: Quality, Advancing Care Information and Cost. As part of the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA), there are two paths physicians can choose from to participate in Quality Payment Programs: Advanced Alternative Methods or MIPS. Those who report correctly through these programs will have payments positively adjusted.

“Having the PSH model accepted by CMS as a MIPS Improvement Activity shows that we are on the right track with the PSH as it relates to the processes important to care coordination of patients having surgery,” said ASA President Jeffrey Plagenhoef, MD. “We have data that shows this model works for both the patient and the institution it’s being used in. Ultimately, we want the best experience for the patients we serve as well as improvements in quality and lower costs.”