The New York Times Magazine yesterday published a letter-to-the-editor sent in by HCFA in response to the article on Intermountain Healthcare that was published 3 weeks ago (read our blog overview of the story).

The letter points out that while the article focuses on the high quality of care provided at Intermountain as a result of its work on evidence-based medicine, it gives very little attention to the role of consumers, and even dismisses the consumer role to some degree. As the letter mentions, Massachusetts is looking to include consumer engagement in payment reform, recognizing the important role that consumers can play as partners with their providers in making treatment decisions.