The Trump administration is slowing Medicare’s movement toward making greater use of quality in its payment system.
The Obama administration’s goal of having 50 percent of Medicare payments made through a quality or alternative payment model by the end of 2018 now appears to be out of sight. Instead, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has partially canceled two bundled payment programs – one for joint replacement and another for cardiac rehabilitation programs – and announced that before introducing new programs it wants to take a closer look at the successes and failures of the alternative payment model programs that have been implemented in recent years.
The Washington Post’s “The Health 202” feature offers an in-depth look at CMS’s current approach to Medicare quality programs and reimbursement system changes. See it here.