Expectations are high this year that Congress will finally reach an agreement to overhaul the way Medicare pays doctors for services, scrapping a method that's been the target of criticism for more than a decade. If that happens, experts say, Medicare beneficiaries will see changes in how health care is provided, with an increased emphasis on coordinated care and preventive services. "We're optimistic that there are a lot of opportunities in this to help make people healthier, more satisfied with their care and bring down costs," said Dr. Joseph Craft III, a cardiologist at Mercy Clinic Heart and Vascular and president of the St. Louis Metropolitan Medical Society.
