340B Drug Pricing Program Eligibility Tied to Lower Biosimilar Use
Participation in the 340B drug pricing program was associated with reduced biosimilar use and more biologic administrations, a study published in Health Affairs found. The 340B program allows eligible...Lawmakers Want to Tie Physician Payment Updates to Inflation
Several lawmakers are seeking to tie physician payment updates in Medicare to inflation to prevent potential physician shortage issues. Representatives Raul Ruiz, MD (D-CA-25), Larry Bucshon, MD...CMS Proposes a 3.7% Boost in Skilled Nursing Facility Payments
CMS has issued a proposed rule that includes a 3.7 percent payment update for skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) and changes to the SNF Quality Reporting Program (QRP) and the SNF Value-Based Purchasing...Proposed Rule to Boost Medicare Inpatient Rehab Payments by 3%
A new proposed rule from CMS would increase payments to inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs) by $335 million next fiscal year. The draft regulation would also update quality reporting and new...CMS Proposes 2.8% Medicare Hospice Payment Bump
Medicare hospice payments could grow by as much as 2.8 percent, or $720 million, next year under a rule recently proposed by CMS. The federal agency released the proposed rule on Friday. It seeks to...Site-Neutral Payments Could Threaten Access to Care, Study Suggests
A new study released by the American Hospital Association (AHA) suggests that site-neutral payments could threaten access to care for some of the most vulnerable patients. Site-neutral payments...MedPAC Recognizes Impact of Inflation on Docs, Suggests Higher Rates
The Medicare Payment Advisory Committee (MedPAC) recommended increasing physician payment rates based on an inflation-based index for Medicare. The independent advisory group suggested in its March...Biden’s FY24 Budget Aims to Extend Medicare Trust Fund Solvency
President Biden has announced plans to extend the solvency of the Medicare Trust Fund by at least 25 years in the fiscal year (FY) 2024 budget. The budget includes proposals to stretch the solvency of...How E/M Payment Policy Changes Impacted Physician Reimbursement
Evaluation and management (E/M) payment policy changes implemented in 2021 resulted in higher Medicare reimbursement for most physicians but only led to a modest decrease in the payment gap between...Study Finds MIPS Scores Don’t Reflect True Quality Performance
A recent study out of the Weill Cornell Medical College questions whether the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) accurately captures the quality of care delivered by primary care...Judge Wants HHS to Remedy 340B Underpayments to Hospitals
A federal court has decided to let HHS determine how to repay hospitals for years of 340B underpayments. The decision issued Tuesday by the US District Court for the District of Columbia comes as a...Bundled Payment Model Reduced Spending on Medical, Surgical Episodes
Participating in Medicare’s Bundled Payments for Care Improvement (BPCI) initiative was associated with cost savings for medical and surgical episodes, but savings varied among hospitals and...AHA Urges MedPAC to Consider Higher Medicare Payment Updates for 2024
The American Hospital Association (AHA) has asked the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) to consider higher Medicare payment updates before issuing its final recommendations, including...Sponsored by Brault Practice Solutions
