A call to advance equity in health care payment

In the United States, clinicians are often paid more for providing more services, regardless of how they affect patients’ health. This dynamic has fueled an inefficient system in which care is often unaffordable and produces disappointing outcomes for many Americans.

Recognizing the misalignment between the payment and health, policymakers have spent a decade changing payment to emphasize better health outcomes and cost-conscious care. While this approach has created a major cultural shift in care delivery changes, they have done little to address health care disparities – one of the most critical problems in the U.S. health care system.

Dr. Joshua Liao, associate chair for health care systems and associate professor (General Internal Medicine) and colleagues from the University of Pennsylvania, are asking you to join the call to advance equity in health care payment. We cannot make meaningful progress without tackling these issues and realigning payment around equity.

Please read and consider signing the Open Letter that calls attention to this issue and outlines a vision and early steps for addressing it.