Doctors in Blue Cross alternative quality contract also changed how they treated Medicare patients

In Massachusetts, more than 18,000 doctors care for nearly 700,000 Blue Cross Blue Shield members under an alternative way of paying for medical treatment that is meant to control costs and reward physician groups that keep patients healthier. These physicians may be changing how they treat their other patients as well, a new study suggests. Researchers wanted to find out whether there is "spill over" in practices that care for Blue Cross members as part of the insurer's "alternative quality contract" to patients in the practices who are insured by Medicare. They found there was an impact on controlling costs of treating Medicare patients, but not for improving quality.