MACPAC

Federal Health Policy Update for November 7

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for November 1-7. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Medicare Payment Regulations Late last week CMS published four regulations describing how Medicare will pay certain providers in 2025. The following is a brief overview of those regulations. Medicare Outpatient Prospective Payment System Rate increase of 2.9 percent for outpatient and ambulatory surgical center services. New Conditions of Participation for obstetrical services. Additional payments for selected non-opioid treatments for pain relief. Minor modifications of the inpatient-only list. A change in the review time [...]

joe2024-11-07T16:26:47-05:00November 7, 2024|Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, health equity, hospitals, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicare, Medicare post-acute care, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, Telehealth|

Federal Health Policy Update for October 31

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for October 25-31. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. The White House The White House has announced a new private sector pilot program to maintain uninterrupted access to seven pre-selected pediatric cancer medications. Pilot participants in this program, which is part of the Biden Cancer Moonshot, will develop stewardship standards focused on identifying shortage risks, promoting transparent inventory awareness, and fostering an effective approach to preventing patient care disruptions and maintaining consistent drug distribution to children and families facing cancer. The pilot [...]

joe2024-10-31T15:10:55-04:00October 31, 2024|Accountable Care Organization, ACO, Alternative payment models, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, hospitals, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicaid managed care, Medicaid regulations, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, Telehealth|

Federal Health Policy Update for August 30

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for August 23-30. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. 340B Johnson & Johnson, the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical technologies company, told health care providers this week that it would shift from the long-time 340B upfront discount approach to a rebate model for two of its drugs and that eligible 340B hospitals and other providers will need to purchase the prescription drugs Stelara and Xarelto at list price and then, after dispensing them to patients, will need to submit 340B rebate claims to [...]

joe2024-08-30T15:03:18-04:00August 30, 2024|340b, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, health equity, hospitals, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicaid long-term services and supports, Medicare, Medicare post-acute care, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC, social determinants of health|

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|

Federal Health Policy Update for August 15

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for August 9-15. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Department of Health and Human Services To advance its implementation of the 2009 Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH Act), HHS has published a proposed regulation that would amend and update its Health and Human Services Acquisition Regulation. The proposed regulation would require health care organizations that contract with HHS to comply with standards for data exchange adopted by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology [...]

joe2024-08-15T16:35:34-04:00August 15, 2024|Accountable Care Organization, ACO, Alternative payment models, COVID-19, health equity, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicare, Medicare post-acute care, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, post-acute care|

Federal Health Policy Update for August 8

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for August 3-8. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. No Surprises Act A federal appeals court has upheld a February lower court ruling that found that the current No Surprises Act’s arbitration process for addressing payment disagreements between payers and providers favored payers by giving too much weight to “qualifying payment amounts,” which are the median of what insurers contract to pay providers in a given geographic area. Learn more from the appeals court’s decision in the case. Department of Health and [...]

joe2024-08-08T15:01:05-04:00August 8, 2024|340b, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, hospitals, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicare, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, social determinants of health, Telehealth|

Federal Health Policy Update for June 13

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for June 7-13. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government document. Supreme Court The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a challenge to how the Department of Health and Human Services calculates hospitals’ Medicare disproportionate share (Medicare DSH) payments. The case was added to the court’s 2024-2025 schedule. Congress Individual members and key committees in Congress continue to introduce and mark up health care-related legislation with an eye toward including these initiatives in an end-of-year package. This work is expected to continue through the [...]

joe2024-06-13T20:15:06-04:00June 13, 2024|Alternative payment models, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, health equity, hospitals, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicaid regulations, Medicare, Medicare disproportionate share, Medicare DSH, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC, Telehealth|

Federal Health Policy Update for May 23

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for May 18-23. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Congress Leaders of the Senate Finance Committee have released a white paper outlining potential reforms of how Medicare pays physicians and how Medicare might better meet the needs of those with chronic illnesses. The white paper notes areas of interest the committee sees as opportunities for reform, including: Creating sustainable payment updates to ensure clinicians can own and operate their practices. Creating incentives for alternative payment models that reward providing better care at [...]

joe2024-05-23T18:28:33-04:00May 23, 2024|340b, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Congress, hospitals, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicaid managed care, Medicaid regulations, Medicare, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC, Telehealth|

Federal Health Policy Update for April 18

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for April 12-18. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. The White House The administration has launched a new global health security strategy that seeks to drive action across federal departments and agencies and rally support from other countries, the private sector, and civil society to better prevent, detect, respond to, and recover from infectious disease threats. The strategy seeks to build on the lessons learned from the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Learn more from this White House statement; the administration’s strategy [...]

joe2024-04-18T19:03:57-04:00April 18, 2024|340b, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, COVID-19, hospitals, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicare, Medicare regulations, MedPAC|

MACPAC Meets

Members of the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission met publicly last week in Washington, D.C. The following is MACPAC’s own summary of its meeting. The April 2024 Commission meeting began with a presentation of a draft chapter on demographic data collection in Medicaid for the June Report to Congress. Racial and ethnic health disparities persist throughout the U.S. health care system. Previous meetings have focused on the collection of primary language and limited English proficiency, sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI), and disability data to help assess and address these health disparities. Measuring differences in access and use of [...]

joe2024-04-16T17:34:59-04:00April 17, 2024|Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, hospitals, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicaid disproportionate share, Medicaid DSH, Medicaid long-term services and supports, Medicaid regulations|