Where does the concept of concierge medicine fit within the framework of value-based care (VBC)? It certainly fits the concept of consumer-driven healthcare — for consumers who have the income to afford it. But is there room for it under Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement frameworks?

The Trump administration seems to believe so.

“Value-based transformation in particular is not a new passion for me,” Health & Human Services Secretary Alex Azar remarked in March, 2018, at the Federation of American Hospitals’ annual gathering. “But it has been a frustrating process.”

“Results for the early stages of federal efforts to encourage accountable care organizations have been, to be honest, underwhelming,” he admonished. “This administration and this President are not interested in incremental steps. We are unafraid of disrupting existing arrangements.”

Now, there are concerns that the federal government may be reversing course on VBC.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued a request for information (RFI), “to see how the Trump administration could help fund access to some fee-based practices for Medicare patients,” reported CNBC’s Bertha Coombs.

Azar has proposed, “giving some Medicare patients a stipend to help them gain access to fee-based practices that provide more personalized care,” she noted.

Does this RFI represent the initial stage of a VBC rollback?

Get the full story here, from CNBC.