March 24, 2022
Legislation that would update and improve the healthcare data the state collects passed the House Judiciary Finance and Civil Law Committee on March 22.
The legislation, HF3696 (Rep. Jennifer Schultz, DFL-Duluth), updates the state’s All-Payer Claims Database (APCD) and directs the Department of Health to begin collecting payment information that is not included in claims. Minnesota’s APCD currently collects payment information from insurance claims from all payers in order to conduct research to better understand how healthcare is paid for. However, APCD data is missing a large portion of payments as more reimbursements for value-based payments are not included in insurance claims.
The legislation was developed by a large coalition of primary care providers, led by the Minnesota Academy of Family Physicians (MAFP). Deb Dittberner, MD, MAFP’s president, testified in strong support of the bill, stressing the importance of value-based payments to support primary care services.
“There are several non-claims-based payments that affect the way that I, as a physician, and others in my practice provide care for patients,” Dittberner said. “Value-based payments support physicians in taking on patients with increased complexity, such as multiple chronic diseases, which take more time and effort outside of routine office visits to effectively manage their diseases.”
The bill was referred back to the House Health Finance and Policy Committee where it likely will be included in the omnibus health and human services bill that will be developed by the committee.
May 29, 2025
As the Legislature works to complete its work on the state’s two-year budget, another deadline is looming. Legislators are required to pass a balanced budget before the end of the fiscal year—June 30, 2025. If they don’t meet that deadline, the state will begin a partial shutdown.
May 29, 2025
Registration has opened for the Empowering Physicians: A Night of Reflection and Engagement event, featuring best-selling author Elisabeth Rosenthal, MD.
May 29, 2025
The AMA is encouraging physicians to contact their U.S. senators and urge them to revise the reconciliation bill passed recently by the U.S. House of Representatives. While the bill includes language that would stabilize Medicare physician payments, it also threatens to cripple Medicaid and CHIP.