Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation

Federal Health Policy Update for December 19

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for December 13-19. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Congress Funding for the operation of the federal government will expire tomorrow, December 20, unless Congress passes a funding bill. Earlier this week, congressional leaders agreed on a continuing resolution that included a number of health care priorities, including relief from scheduled Medicaid DSH cuts, relief for Medicare physician payment cuts, extension of telehealth flexibilities, extension of the Acute Hospital Care at Home program, a number of changes in the practices of pharmacy [...]

Federal Health Policy Update for December 12

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for December 6-12. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Congress Funding the Federal Government With funding for the federal government set to expire in eight days, Congress is still negotiating the details of the next continuing resolution. Speaker Johnson has indicated that the next continuing resolution will extend until an unspecified date in March. Last week, the House majority and House minority exchanged proposals for additional items to include in the next continuing resolution and both parties listed health care extenders – [...]

joe2024-12-12T16:16:50-05:00December 12, 2024|340b, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMMI, Congress, COVID-19, Federal Update, hospitals, Medicaid, Medicaid disproportionate share, Medicaid DSH, Medicaid DSH allotments, Medicare, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy|

Federal Health Policy Update for December 5

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for November 22 – December 5. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Congress The House has posted its session calendar for 2025. Find that calendar here. Yesterday, House Republicans made an offer to House Democrats regarding health care provisions to be included in the continuing resolution (CR) that must pass before December 20. The offer is a conversation-opener and very few details are available. Although most of the proposed policies have bipartisan support, there are some tangible policy differences, including House Democrats’ [...]

joe2024-12-05T17:14:33-05:00December 5, 2024|Accountable Care Organization, ACO, Alternative payment models, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMMI, Congress, Federal Update, hospitals, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicare, Medicare post-acute care, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, Pennsylvania Update|

Federal Health Policy Update for September 12

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for September 6-12. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. 340B A federal court has declined to issue a preliminary order to block implementation of a Maryland law that requires pharmaceutical companies to provide discounts on drugs dispensed by eligible 340B providers by contract pharmacies. The challenge to the Maryland law, filed by Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) and several pharmaceutical companies, will be heard without a temporary order suspending the law’s implementation. Learn more from the court order. Centers for [...]

joe2024-09-12T15:22:15-04:00September 12, 2024|340b, Alternative payment models, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, COVID-19, hospitals, Medicaid, Medicaid managed care, Medicaid regulations, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC|

Federal Health Policy Update for August 22

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for August 16-22. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. The Courts The federal government must include uninsured patients whom hospitals serve under state Medicaid waivers when calculating hospitals’ Medicare DSH payments, a federal court has ruled. In the case of Baylor All Saints Medical Center, et al. v. Xavier Becerra, federal policymakers had invoked a 2023 regulation that excluded counting care provided to patients served by DSH-eligible hospitals providing care through state Medicaid waivers – generally, through uncompensated care pools. A group [...]

joe2024-08-22T15:11:48-04:00August 22, 2024|Alternative payment models, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, hospitals, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicare disproportionate share, Medicare DSH, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, Telehealth|

CMS Tinkers With ACO REACH Model

Medicare’s ACO REACH Model will undergo some changes when it heads into its 2025 performance year. To help ensure that the program controls costs and saves money, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will implement a series of changes in its voluntary Accountable Care Organization Realizing Equity, Access, and Community Health (ACO REACH) Model. According to the agency, it is: adjusting the financial methodology to improve model sustainability based on the findings in the PY [performance year] 2022 Evaluation Report; responding to feedback from interested parties on improvements to the accuracy of benchmarks; and strengthening operational flexibility and [...]

joe2024-08-13T15:57:16-04:00August 14, 2024|Accountable Care Organization, ACO, Alternative payment models, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMMI, Medicare, Medicare reimbursement policy|

Federal Health Policy Update for August 5

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for July 19 – August 5. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. CMS – Medicare Payment Regulations Final FY 2025 Inpatient Prospective Payment System Regulation CMS has finalized its hospital inpatient prospective payment system rule for FY 2025. In the next fiscal year CMS will increase Medicare inpatient payments 2.9% while cutting Medicare disproportionate share hospital payments (Medicare DSH) $200 million. It also has: finalized its use of new core-based statistical area (CBSA) delineations for use in Medicare wage index calculations; established [...]

joe2024-08-06T14:25:10-04:00August 6, 2024|Alternative payment models, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMMI, health equity, Medicaid, Medicare, Medicare disproportionate share, Medicare DSH, Medicare post-acute care, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC, post-acute care|

Federal Health Policy Update for July 12

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for July 6-12. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. The Courts A federal court has blocked implementation of the FTC’s rule banning non-compete clauses in most employment contracts, a regulatory development with potentially significant implications for the health care industry. The temporary ban affects only the five plaintiffs in the case and it is not yet clear whether the ruling will have broader implications in the wake of the recent reversal of the Chevron decision that could potentially curtail the rulemaking authority [...]

joe2024-07-12T18:46:49-04:00July 12, 2024|Alternative payment models, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMMI, health equity, hospitals, Medicaid, Medicaid regulations, Medicare, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, Telehealth|

Federal Health Policy Update for July 5

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for June 29-July 5. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Department of Health and Human Services Because it has found that Medicare Advantage organizations sometimes deny prior authorization requests for post-acute care after a qualifying hospital stay even though the requests met Medicare coverage rules, HHS’s Office of the Inspector General will examine selected Medicare Advantage plans’ processes for reviewing prior authorization requests for post-acute care in long-term acute-care hospitals, inpatient rehabilitation facilities, and skilled nursing facilities. It also will review the [...]

joe2024-07-05T17:44:35-04:00July 5, 2024|Alternative payment models, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMMI, hospitals, Medicaid, Medicare, Medicare post-acute care, Medicare reimbursement policy, post-acute care|

Federal Health Policy Update for June 28

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for June 21-28. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. The Courts The Supreme Court has overturned the court’s own decision in the 1984 case of Chevron U. S. A. Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc. that gave federal agencies considerable leeway to interpret ambiguous laws enacted by Congress. While the Chevron decision called for the courts to defer to federal agency interpretation of ambiguous statutes if they found them to be reasonable, the latest Supreme Court decision calls for the courts [...]

joe2024-06-28T20:03:06-04:00June 28, 2024|Affordable Care Act, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMMI, hospitals, Medicaid, Medicare, Medicare post-acute care, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy|