Dive Brief:
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President-elect Donald Trump’s selection of Rep. Tom Price for HHS Secretary has exposed political rifts among physicians, according to Stat News.
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Multiple trade groups endorsed the selection, but many physicians have taken to social media to criticize Price and his support from trade groups.
- Price has proposed health reform legislation that would put an end to the bundled payments program, according to Modern Healthcare.
Dive Insight:
Trade groups including the AMA, the American Hospital Association, America’s Health Insurance Plans, and the Association of American Medical Colleges have all issued statements in favor of the HHS Secretary nomination. However, many physicians were dismayed by the decision.
A letter published by the Clinical Action Network summed up the sentiment shared by many of Price’s detractors. Trade group endorsements for Price goes back “on a fundamental pledge that we as physicians have taken — to protect and advance care for our patients.” As of Tuesday night, more than 3,000 physicians had attached their names to that letter.
Some have even raised conflict-of-interest-concerns over Price’s ties to the healthcare industry, according to Modern Healthcare. One proposal he made as a legislator would allow trade groups more control over comparative effectiveness research that inform performance-based quality measures.
Trump took an aggressive stance toward the ACA on the campaign trail, so his choice for HHS secretary was likely to draw attention regardless. However, Price, an orthopedic surgeon-turned-congressman, is a familiar figure to many physicians and was likely to draw a strong reaction. Time will tell if those concerns among some of his peers will be eased.