VSSL Director Appointed to National Payment Model Committee

Congrats to VSSL Director Dr. Joshua Liao for his recent appointment to the national Physician-Focused Payment Model Technical Advisory Committee (PTAC), a group created by Congress and supported by the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation at the US Department Health & Human Services (HHS).

PTAC members are national experts ("individuals with national recognition for their expertise in PFPMs and related delivery of care") appointed to the Committee by the Comptroller General of the United States. As PTAC Commissioner, Dr. Liao joins a group of distinguished health care experts to evaluate value-based payment models and advance the mission of using these models to improve care.

Per the HHS website:

PTAC was created by The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) which was enacted, in part, to improve how the federal Medicare program pays physicians for the care they provide to Medicare beneficiaries. MACRA authorized the creation of Medicare’s Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and additional Medicare Alternative Payment Models (APMs). MACRA also created incentives for physicians to participate in APMs, and it specifically encouraged the development of certain types of APMs referred to as physician-focused payment models (PFPMs).

To encourage stakeholders to engage in the development of PFPMs, Congress also enacted section 101(e)(1) of MACRA, which created PTAC. The statutory mission of PTAC is to make comments and recommendations to the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (the Secretary, HHS) on proposals for PFPMs submitted to PTAC by individuals and stakeholder entities. The Secretary is required by MACRA to review PTAC’s comments and recommendations on submitted proposals and post a detailed response on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) website."

Notably, Dr. Liao's payment and delivery expertise extends beyond his recent PTAC appointment. He also serves as advisor to the RVU Update Committee (RUC). As a RUC advisor, he provides expertise that contributes to the groups recommendations to Medicare about how to value physician work when setting payment rates. Dr. Liao has also advised state programs on a range of payment and delivery issues.