Prior to last November’s election, leadership at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services prepared briefing materials for the transition staff of the winning candidate. That briefing book, HHS Presidential Transition Agency Landing Team Book, provides background material that HHS leadership believed would be useful for the incoming president’s transition team. That 118-page book is now publicly available; find it here.
Medicare’s bundled payment program for knee and hip replacements is reducing the cost of such treatments, a study has found. According to a new study in JAMA Internal Medicine, the Medicare bundled payment program, known as the Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement program, has driven down the cost of the those joint replacements more than 20 percent or $5500 a case. Most of the savings have been derived through a significant decrease in the use of post-acute care, according to the study. This decrease occurred, moreover, at a time when Medicare spending on joint replacement rose five percent. Learn more [...]
New home health regulations will “…improve the quality of health care services for Medicare and Medicaid patients and strengthen patients’ rights,” according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, which published the new regulations. The new regulations call for a comprehensive statement of patient rights, better communication between patients and providers, data-driven assessment of the quality of care providers deliver, a stronger focus on infection control, better coordination of services with other providers, and new qualifications for home care personnel. Learn more about the new regulation in this CMS news release and in the regulation itself.
The federal government is considering expanding its Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly to younger participants with disabilities. It also is considering expanded access to the program to as-yet unspecified “other populations.” The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is seeking public input on these possibilities. To learn more, see this CMS news release, which outlines the agency’s interests and offers a link to its formal Request for Information seeking input on prospective PACE expansion. Comments are due February 10.