MedPAC Votes on 2011 Medicare Provider Update Recommendations
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) recently voted on recommendations it will make to Congress regarding Medicare payment updates for 2011. At the meeting, MedPAC voted to recommend increasing acute inpatient and outpatient prospective payment system reimbursement in 2011 by the projected rate of increase in the hospital market basket index (MBI). This rate increase would be coupled with implementation of a quality incentive payment program, along with an offset in 2011 through 2013 to recover payments attributable to hospital documentation and coding improvements. MedPAC also recommends that Congress increase payments for physician services in 2011 by 1.0%. For ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs), MedPAC recommends a 0.6% increase in rates, together with a requirement that ASCs to submit cost and quality data. MedPAC recommends updating the end stage renal disease (ESRD) composite rate by the ESRD MBI increase minus a productivity growth adjustment. MedPAC approved a series of recommendations regarding home health services, including elimination of the inflation update for 2011, rebasing of home health rates with provisions to protect quality of care, development of quality outcomes measures, and implementation of certain program integrity safeguards. With regard to other post-acute services, MedPAC recommends no payment update in 2011 for skilled nursing facilities, inpatient rehabilitation facilities, or long-term care hospitals. MedPAC also recommends updating hospice rates by the projected MBI for 2011, minus an adjustment for productivity gains. These recommendations will be included in MedPAC's March 2010 report to Congress. While the recommendations are not binding, MedPAC’s assessments often help shape federal policy.
