MedPAC

Federal Health Policy Update for Thursday, February 3

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, February 3. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Provider Relief Fund The reconsideration window for Provider Relief Fund Phase 4 payments and American Rescue Plan rural hospital payments is now open for providers to request reconsideration of their payments. This process is intended only for providers that believe their payment was not calculated correctly. They will not have an opportunity to submit an application if they missed a deadline; will not be able to revise or [...]

iqtsupport2022-02-03T17:46:52-05:00February 3, 2022|Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMMI, Coronavirus, COVID-19, health equity, hospitals, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC, Telehealth|

Federal Health Policy Update for Friday, January 28

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 3:45 p.m. on Friday, January 28. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Provider Relief Fund HHS and its Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announced that this week they made more than $2 billion in Provider Relief Fund Phase 4 General Distribution payments to more than 7,600 providers. Nearly $11 billion of the $17 billion allocated for Provider Relief Fund Phase 4 payments have now been distributed. Phase 4 payments have an increased focus on equity, including reimbursing a higher [...]

iqtsupport2022-01-28T17:26:51-05:00January 28, 2022|Accountable Care Organization, ACO, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Congress, Coronavirus, COVID-19, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC|

Federal Health Policy Update for Thursday, January 13

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:45 p.m. on Thursday, January 13. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Supreme Court The Supreme Court has ruled that the administration’s vaccine mandate for health care workers will remain in effect while the mandate is challenged in the lower courts. See the court’s ruling here. White House The White House has announced new efforts to protect children from COVID-19 and keep schools open. The new measures include: Sending more point-of-care and lab-based PCR tests to schools. Deploying federal surge [...]

iqtsupport2022-01-13T17:31:49-05:00January 13, 2022|Alternative payment models, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMMI, Coronavirus, COVID-19, hospitals, MACPAC, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC, post-acute care|

Federal Health Policy Update for Tuesday, January 11

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, January 11. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Provider Relief Fund HHS has updated its FAQ for reconsideration requests involving Phase 4 and rural hospital payments. Find the updated FAQ here. Department of Health and Human Services COVID-19 HHS announced that beginning January 15, individuals with private health insurance coverage who purchase an over-the-counter COVID-19 diagnostic test authorized, cleared, or approved by the FDA will be able to have those test costs covered by their insurance. [...]

iqtsupport2022-01-11T17:32:41-05:00January 11, 2022|Affordable Care Act, Alternative payment models, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMMI, Coronavirus, COVID-19, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicare, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC|

Federal Health Policy Update for Thursday, January 6

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:45 p.m. on Thursday, January 6. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Provider Relief Fund The Provider Relief Fund reporting portal is now open for reporting period 2 and will remain open through March 31, 2022. Go here for more information about what organizations do and do not need to report and how to do so. The Provider Relief Fund web page offers updated information about what constitutes an allowable expense when reporting on the use of Provider Relief Fund [...]

iqtsupport2022-01-06T17:30:52-05:00January 6, 2022|Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Coronavirus, COVID-19, hospitals, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicaid managed care, Medicare, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC|

Federal Health Policy Update for Monday, January 3

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:45 p.m. on Monday, January 3. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. The White House President Biden has issued a memorandum to the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency on maximizing assistance to respond to COVID-⁠19. Among other things, the memorandum calls for FEMA to provide emergency and disaster assistance, to establish or expand COVID-19 testing sites at the request of state governments, and to underwrite the [...]

iqtsupport2022-01-03T17:34:54-05:00January 3, 2022|Alternative payment models, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMMI, Coronavirus, COVID-19, MACPAC, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC|

MedPAC Meets

The government agency that advises Congress on Medicare payment matters met publicly in Washington, D.C. last week. During the virtual meeting, members of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission discussed and debated future Medicare payments for: hospital inpatient services hospital outpatient services physician services ambulatory surgical center services outpatient dialysis hospice care skilled nursing facilities home health inpatient rehabilitation facilities long-term-care hospitals MedPAC is an independent congressional agency that advises Congress on issues involving Medicare. While its recommendations are not binding on either Congress or the administration, MedPAC is highly influential in governing circles and its recommendations often find their way [...]

iqtsupport2021-12-14T06:00:40-05:00December 14, 2021|Medicare, Medicare post-acute care, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC|

Federal Health Policy Update for Monday, December 6

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:45 p.m. on Monday, December 6. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. The White House The White House has published a plan outlining the steps the administration will take to combat the delta and omicron variants of COVID-19 in the coming months. The major components of this plan are boosters for all adults, vaccinations for children, expanded free home testing, stronger public health protocols for international travel, workplace protections, rapid response teams to help battle rising cases, and supplying treatment [...]

iqtsupport2021-12-06T17:23:36-05:00December 6, 2021|Accountable Care Organization, Alternative payment models, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMMI, Coronavirus, COVID-19, MACPAC, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC, Telehealth|

Federal Health Policy Update for Wednesday, December 1

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December 1. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Omicron Variant The CDC has confirmed the first case of the COVID-19 omicron variant on U.S. soil. Learn more from this CDC news release. Health Care Employee Vaccine Mandate COVID-19 A federal court has issued a preliminary injunction blocking enforcement of the federal government’s requirement that health care workers receive COVID-19 vaccines by December 6. Find the court’s ruling here. The ultimate ruling will be made by a [...]

iqtsupport2021-12-01T17:37:13-05:00December 1, 2021|Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, CMMI, Coronavirus, COVID-19, MedPAC, Telehealth|

MedPAC Looks at Outpatient Payments

The question of whether Medicare should pay different rates for outpatient services delivered in different types of settings was very much on the minds of Medicare Payment Advisory Commission members during their public meetings last week. The issue has been around for a while: are there valid reasons for some facilities to be paid more for certain outpatient services than other facilities? Or should the payment rate for a given service be the same regardless of where that service is delivered? Does the site of the service matter – or should it? At issue are Medicare payments made to private [...]

iqtsupport2021-11-18T06:00:01-05:00November 18, 2021|Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC|