Section 3022 of PPACA calls for the establishment of a Medicare shared savings program by January 1, 2012.  The shared savings program would reward accountable care organizations (ACOs) that lower average per capita Medicare expenditures while continuing to meet quality performance standards.

Title III, Subtitle A, Part I of PPACA is entitled “Linking Payment to Quality Outcomes under the Medicare Program”.  These provisions require the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a value-based purchasing program for hospitals; develop a plan for value-based purchasing programs for skilled nursing facilities and home health agencies; and adopt a value-based payment modifier under the physician fee schedule.

A recent poll of U.S. physicians found that about a third have been paid by pharmaceutical companies to attend meetings, present talks or host a meeting.

The anonymous poll ran simultaneously on MomMD.com and NetDoc.com from April 1 to April 11, 2010. The poll asked "Have you ever been paid by a pharmaceutical company to give a talk or to host or attend a meeting?"

Privacy advocates worry that as patient records move from paper to the digital environment, security breaches will occur more frequently and affect more patients. 

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, popularly known as the stimulus bill, contained several provisions encouraging adoption of electronic medical records.  Many health policy experts support health information technology, believing that electronic health records will enhance quality of care (through minimizing medication errors and creating opportunities for greater continuity of care) and decrease administrative costs. Along with these benefits, however, is a growing risk of privacy breaches.