The independent federal agency that advises Congress on Medicare payment issues met last week in Washington and addressed a number of issues of importance to hospitals.

Among the issues discussed by the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) were:

• beneficiary access to hospital care and how service volume affects hospital costs
• hospital short stay policy issues
• per beneficiary payment for primary care
• the 340B drug pricing program
• site-neutral payments for selected conditions treated in inpatient rehabilitation facilities and skilled nursing homes
• payment policies to promote the use of services based on clinical evidence

Find links to the presentations offered by MedPAC staff on these issues here, on MedPAC’s web site.