New Commission On Physician Payment Reform Appoints WellPoint Physician

The National Commission on Physician Payment Reform, sponsored by the Society of General Internal Medicine, has appointed Dr. Lisa Latts, WellPoint vice president of public health policy, the only health plan representative to serve on the commission.

The appointment comes on the heels of a WellPoint announcement launching an innovative approach to reimbursing physicians to help improve quality and reduce costs that could significantly increase revenue opportunities for physician practices.

The commission’s charge is to issue recommendations on ways to reform the physician payment system that will restrain health care costs while improving outcomes for patients. The commission will assess how physicians are paid, as well as potential impacts of proposed health care payment models, such as accountable care organizations, patient-centered medical homes and value-based purchasing.

Dr. Latts leads WellPoint’s public health strategy and is a practicing internist with the University of Colorado Hospital. She served on the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s National Advisory Council and currently serves on the Committee for Performance Measurement and the Standards Committee for the National Committee for Quality Assurance.

“It’s an honor to be included among the National Commission on Physician Payment Reform’s illustrious and well-rounded group of experts,” Latts said. “I look forward to bringing my experience as a physician and a thought leader for one of the largest health benefit companies in the country to the table to work with others to help solve one of the most pressing issues facing our country.”

The commission is chaired by Dr. Steven Schroeder, distinguished professor of health and health care at the University of California, San Francisco and former president of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the largest health care philanthropy in the country, with Senator Bill Frist, a noted physician, serving as Honorary Chair. The high profile commission includes a number of physicians, heads of large health care systems, business leaders and respected health policy and medical ethics leaders, including Kavita Patel of the Brookings Institution and a former member of the Obama administration; Troy Brennan, executive vice president and chief medical officer of CVS Caremark and CVS Pharmacy, Inc.; and Suzanne Delbanco, executive director of Catalyst for Payment Reform and founding CEO of the Leapfrog Group.

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