As part of its “Regulatory Sprint to Coordinated Care,” the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is seeking input on how it can address “unnecessary obstacles to coordinated care, real or perceived, caused by the physician self-referral law.” CMS Administrator Seema Verma acknowledged in a recent blog post that “[i]n its current form, the … Continue Reading
A number of Congressional panels have scheduled or held recent hearings on health policy issues, including the following: On November 30, 2017, the House Energy & Commerce Committee is holding a hearing on implementation of the 21st Century Cures Act (Cures Act), featuring testimony by National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins, M.D. and Food … Continue Reading
Signals Trump Administration’s About-Face on Obama-Era Mandatory Innovation Models The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has just released a proposed rule to cancel a significant — but still-pending — Obama Administration program that would require certain hospitals to participate in Medicare episode payment models (EPMs) for acute myocardial infarction (AMI), coronary artery bypass … Continue Reading
In order to improve “clinician engagement” and minimize administrative burdens, CMS has announced an 18-month pilot program to reduce medical review audits for participants in selected Advanced Alternative Payment Models (Advanced APMs), beginning January 1, 2017. Under this program, CMS will direct Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs), Recovery Audit Contractors (RACs), and the Supplemental Medical Review … Continue Reading
Temporary Transition Policies Reduce Threat of Negative Adjustments in 2019, But Adds to Complexity On November 4, 2016, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is publishing a sweeping final rule reforming the Medicare physician fee schedule (MPFS) update framework, as mandated by the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA). Beginning … Continue Reading
The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) established the Physician-Focused Payment Model Technical Advisory Committee (PTAC) to provide recommendations on arrangements that meet the criteria for a physician-focused payment model (PFPM) under the reformed system for updating the Medicare physician fee schedule. The PTAC has announced that it will begin accepting letters … Continue Reading
In a recent blog post, CMS Acting Administrator Andy Slavitt announced CMS’s plans to give physicians more options for complying with significant upcoming changes to Medicare physician fee schedule (MPFS) rules – which will help physicians avoid triggering a negative payment adjustment in the first year of the program. As previously reported, the Medicare Access … Continue Reading
The Physician-Focused Payment Model Technical Advisory Committee will meet on September 16, 2016. The Committee will continue discussions about the process by which physician focused payment model proposals will be received and reviewed by the Committee in accordance with regulations implementing Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) physician payment reforms. … Continue Reading
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced proposals for three new “episode payment models” that, like the Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (CJR) model, would mandate provider participation in selected geographic areas. The episodes included in these payment models would address care for heart attacks, coronary artery bypass graft, and surgical hip/femur … Continue Reading
On July 25, 2016, CMS announced ambitious, multi-pronged plans to expand mandatory Medicare coordinated care/bundled payment programs, promote the use of cardiac rehabilitation services, refine current Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement Model (CJR) rules, and integrate bundled payment programs into the upcoming Medicare physician quality/payment framework. The proposed “Advancing Care Coordination through Episode Payment Model” … Continue Reading
Congressional committees held hearings on a wide variety of on health policy issues this month before going on summer recess. Notable hearings include the following:… Continue Reading
MedPAC has released its June 2016 Report to the Congress on Medicare and the Health Care Delivery System. The report includes recommendations for a number of Medicare policy reforms and analyses of various health care market developments. Several chapters address Medicare drug policy, including a review of external factors that influence the prices Medicare pays … Continue Reading
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has proposed regulations to implement major reforms of the Medicare physician fee schedule (MPFS) update framework that were mandated by the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA). As discussed in our client alert, MACRA repealed the longstanding sustainable growth rate (SGR) methodology for updating … Continue Reading
On April 19, 2016, the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health is holding a hearing entitled “Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015: Examining Physician Efforts to Prepare for Medicare Payment Reforms.” The hearing will focus on major physician organizations’ investments in the development of alternative payment models, quality measures, and practice improvements.… Continue Reading
The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is now reviewing a highly-anticipated Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) proposed rule to implement major Medicare physician payment reform provisions included in the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA). As previously reported, MACRA repealed the Medicare sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula and directed … Continue Reading
CMS has announced that has reached its goal of tying 30% of Medicare payments to alternative payment models that reward quality of care rather than volume of service — 11 months ahead of the target CMS set last year. Specifically, CMS determined that the addition of 121 new accountable care organizations (ACOs) in the Medicare … Continue Reading
The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) includes payment incentives to encourage providers to participate in alternative payment models (APMs) that focus on coordinating care, improving quality, and reducing costs. MACRA established the Physician-Focused Payment Model Technical Advisory Committee (PTAC) to provide recommendations to the Secretary of Health and Human Services on … Continue Reading
The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) requires CMS to develop quality measures that will apply to Medicare payments to physicians when new Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and Medicare alternative payment model (APM) provisions go into effect (MIPS and APM payment adjustments begin in 2019). Pursuant to this mandate, CMS has … Continue Reading
The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) requires CMS to establish care episode groups and patient condition groups, which will be used to measure resource use under the new Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and alternative payment models (APMs). Care episode groups describe the patient’s clinical problems at the time items and … Continue Reading
CMS has extended the comment period on its October 1, 2015 request for information (RFI) regarding implementation of the Merit-based Incentive Payment System and promotion of alternative payment models in accordance with MACRA. The comment period, which originally was scheduled to end on November 2, 2015, has been extended until November 17, 2015. CMS also … Continue Reading
The next Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) meeting is scheduled for October 8 -9, 2015. Topics on the agenda include: Medicare drug spending; Alternative Payment Models and the Merit-based Incentive Payment System; Medicare Advantage coding intensity, health risk assessments, benchmarks, and star ratings; and access to emergency care in rural areas.… Continue Reading
On October 1, 2015, CMS published a request for information (RFI) regarding implementation of Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) provisions that mandate significant reforms of the Medicare physician payment system. As previously reported, MACRA repealed the sustainable growth rate methodology (SGR) for updating the Medicare physician fee schedule, and after a … Continue Reading
On July 15, 2015, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published its proposed rule to update the Medicare physician fee schedule (MPFS) for CY 2016 – the first rulemaking since the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) repealed the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula. Under the proposed rule, the 2016 … Continue Reading
Today President Obama signed into law H.R. 2, the "Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015" (MACRA), which reforms Medicare payment policy for physician services and adopts a series of policy changes affecting a wide range of providers and suppliers. Most notably, MACRA permanently repeals the statutory Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula, achieving a goal that has eluded Congress for years. Now, after a period of stable payment updates, MACRA will link physician payment updates to quality, value measurements, and participation in alternative payment models.… Continue Reading
