Plan To Transition to a Medicare Value-Based Purchasing

This notice announces a listening session being conducted as part of the development of a plan for the transition to a value-based purchasing program for physician and other professional services as required by section 131(d) of the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 (MIPPA). The purpose of the listening session is to solicit comments on an issues paper that will present the range of issues being considered for plan development. Physicians, physician associations, and all others interested in the pursuit of new payment approaches to enhance the quality and efficiency of physician and other professional services are invited to participate, in person or by calling in to the teleconference. The issues paper will be posted on the CMS Web site Physician Center Spotlights at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/center/physician.asp no later than November 28, 2008. The issues identified and discussed during this meeting will assist us in developing options for the plan. The meeting is open to the public, but attendance is limited to space and teleconference lines available. Meeting Date: The listening session will be held on Tuesday, December 9, 2008 from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. e.s.t.