MedPAC

MedPAC Debates Post-Acute Payments

As the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services continues to develop a unified payment system for all post-acute-care providers, Congress’s advisors on Medicare payment policy appear ready to weigh in on an important aspect of such a system: Whether payments should be based on entire episodes of care or individual stays in post-acute-care facilities. And at least for now, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission is leaning toward recommending that post-acute-care payments be based on individual stays. At their March public meeting, MedPAC commissioners expressed concern that post-acute-care payments based on entire episodes of care might create financial incentives for providers [...]

iqtsupport2019-03-13T14:55:27-04:00March 13, 2019|Medicare post-acute care, MedPAC|

MedPAC Meets

Last week the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission met in Washington, D.C. to discuss a number of Medicare payment issues. The issues on MedPAC’s March agenda were: two Medicare payment strategies to improve price competition and value for Part B drugs: reference pricing and binding arbitration options for slowing the growth of Medicare fee-for-service spending for emergency department service. Medicare’s role in the supply of primary care physicians evaluating an episode-based payment system for post-acute care mandated report: changes in post-acute and hospice care following the implementation of the long-term care hospital dual payment rate structure MedPAC is an independent congressional [...]

iqtsupport2019-03-12T06:00:49-04:00March 12, 2019|Medicare, Medicare post-acute care, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC, post-acute care|

MedPAC Mulls Billing Change for Nurse Practitioners, Physician Assistants

Medicare would permit nurse practitioners and physician assistants to bill directly for their services under a proposal being considered by the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission. Currently such services are billed as “incident to” physician services, but according to a report in Becker’s Hospital Review, MedPAC staff told commissioners there are problems with “incident to” billing because it “obscures policymakers’ knowledge of who is providing care for beneficiaries,” “inhibits accurate valuation of fee schedule services,” and “increases Medicare beneficiary spending.” Staff also said that physician assistants and nurse practitioners increasingly practice outside of primary care. MedPAC is an independent congressional agency [...]

iqtsupport2018-12-13T06:00:59-05:00December 13, 2018|Medicare, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC|

MedPAC Meets

Last week the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission met in Washington, D.C. to discuss a number of Medicare payment issues. The issues on MedPAC’s December agenda were: Medicare payments for physician and other health professionals services payments for ambulatory surgical centers payments for hospital inpatient and outpatient care Medicare’s hospital quality incentive program payments for skilled nursing facilities payments for long-term care hospitals payments for inpatient rehabilitation facilities payments for outpatient dialysis services payments for hospice care payments for home health services the Medicare Advantage program MedPAC is an independent congressional agency that advises Congress on issues involving the Medicare program. [...]

iqtsupport2018-12-11T06:00:45-05:00December 11, 2018|hospitals, Medicare, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC|

MedPAC Meets

Last week the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission met in Washington, D.C. to discuss a number of Medicare payment issues. The issues on MedPAC’s October agenda were: managing prescription opioid use in Medicare Part D opioids and alternatives in hospital settings: payments, incentives, and Medicare data Medicare payment policies for advanced practice registered nurses and physicians Medicare’s role in the supply of primary care physicians Medicare payments for services provided in inpatient psychiatric facilities episode-based payments and outcome measures under a unified payment system for post-acute care Medicare policy issues related to non-urgent and emergency care MedPAC is an independent congressional [...]

iqtsupport2018-10-11T06:00:51-04:00October 11, 2018|Medicare, Medicare post-acute care, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC, post-acute care|

MedPAC Meets

The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission met last week in Washington, D.C. to address a number of Medicare reimbursement-related issues. Among the subjects on MedPAC’s agenda were: a unified payment system for post-acute care long-term-care hospitals physician payments next steps in redesigning Medicare’s hospital quality and value programs While MedPAC’s policy and payment recommendations are not binding on Congress or the administration, its views are respected and influential and often become the basis for new public policy. Go here to see the policy briefs and presentations offered to help guide MedPAC commissioners’ discussions about these and other issues.

iqtsupport2018-09-13T06:00:56-04:00September 13, 2018|Medicare, Medicare post-acute care, MedPAC|

MedPAC Issues 2018 Report to Congress

The non-partisan legislative branch agency that advises Congress and the administration on Medicare payment policies has submitted its mandatory annual report to Congress. Among the findings included in the report by the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission are: Medicare’s hospital readmissions reduction program has not resulted in increases in emergency room visits or hospital observation stays. Many Medicare accountable care organizations, while maintaining or improving quality, are producing more modest savings than predicted. MedPAC approves of Medicare’s proposals to redesign the case-mix classification system for skilled nursing facilities. MedPAC supports changes Medicare has proposed for patient assessment and therapy requirements for [...]

iqtsupport2018-06-21T10:33:14-04:00June 21, 2018|Accountable Care Organization, ACO, hospitals, Medicaid, Medicare, Medicare post-acute care, Medicare regulations, MedPAC, post-acute care|

MedPAC Mulls Uniform Outcome Measures to Complement Unified Post-Acute Payments

In support of its proposal that Medicare adopt a unified payment system for post-acute-care services, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission is exploring how to develop uniform outcome measures to support such a new payment system. Under the MedPAC vision, articulated at its early April public meeting, skilled nursing facilities, home health agencies, long-term-care hospitals, and inpatient rehabilitation facilities would see their outcomes quantified based on their performance on a series of quality measures. Meanwhile, there has been little congressional interest in the unified post-acute payment proposal so far. While some aspects of such a proposal could be implemented administratively, the [...]

iqtsupport2018-04-18T06:00:59-04:00April 18, 2018|Medicare, Medicare regulations, MedPAC, post-acute care|

MedPAC to Congress: Cut Payments to Freestanding Emergency Facilities

The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission has urged Congress to reduce Medicare payments to freestanding emergency departments 30 percent. The recommendation, approved by MedPAC earlier this month and to be included in its June report to Congress, notes that such facilities have a lower cost structure because they typically lack some of the equipment, personnel, and standby capabilities of hospital ERs. In making its recommendation, MedPAC also noted that freestanding ERs typically treat patients whose conditions are not as severe as hospital ERs and tend to be located in areas that already have adequate access to hospital ERs. While MedPAC’s recommendations [...]

iqtsupport2018-04-17T13:33:12-04:00April 17, 2018|hospitals, Medicare regulations, MedPAC|

MedPAC Meets

The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission met last week in Washington, D.C. to address a number of Medicare reimbursement-related issues. Among the subjects on MedPAC’s agenda were: using payments to ensure appropriate access to and use of hospital emergency department services uniform outcome measures for post-acute care applying MedPAC’s principles for measuring quality: hospital quality incentives Medicare coverage policy and use of low-value care long-term issues confronting Medicare accountable care organizations managed care plans for dual-eligible beneficiaries While MedPAC’s policy and payment recommendations are not binding on Congress or the administration, its views are respected and influential and often become the [...]

iqtsupport2018-04-09T06:00:21-04:00April 9, 2018|Accountable Care Organization, Medicare, Medicare post-acute care, Medicare regulations, MedPAC|