The 340B Issue Explained
The section 340B prescription drug discount program has grown increasingly controversial in recent years. The program, established in the 1990s to help hospitals with the cost of the prescription drugs they provide to low-income patients on an outpatient basis, has [...]
HHS Unveils Spring Regulatory Agenda
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has published a comprehensive list of the regulatory actions it plans to take in the coming months. Included on the list are regulations that have been proposed, that are being finalized, and [...]
Helping Safety-Net Hospitals Help Their Patients
A new report published on the Health Affairs Blog describes the continuing challenges safety-net hospitals face and offers suggestions for helping them meet those challenges. The challenges, according to the report, are the virtual elimination of the Affordable Care Act’s [...]
A Look at Medicaid Managed Care
With 74 million people enrolled in Medicaid managed care plans – roughly 71 percent of the U.S. Medicaid population – the Health Affairs Blog has taken a broad look at Medicaid managed care, addressing the question of how it works, [...]
CMS Rejects Bid to Impose Lifetime Limit on Medicaid Services
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has denied a request from the state of Kansas to impose a lifetime limit on the Medicaid benefits individuals may receive. In a move that the agency appeared to signal last week and [...]
Time to Raise the Bar on Preventable Hospital Readmissions?
A new report suggests that hospitals can have the greatest impact on reducing preventable readmissions within seven days of discharge and not through the 30-day mark at which they are currently judged by Medicare. According to a study published in [...]
New 340B Bill Proposed
A new bill introduced in the House seeks to bring greater transparency to the controversial 340B prescription drug discount program. Under H.R.5598, proposed by Rep. Earl “Buddy” Carter (R-GA), hospitals would be required to report the outpatient care they provide [...]
CMS Proposes Regulatory Changes in Medicare Quality Programs
Last week the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services published a proposal detailing how it envisions paying for Medicare services in FY 2019 under its inpatient prospective payment system. On Tuesday this space features a summary of the proposed changes [...]
CMS Proposes Regulatory Changes in EHR Incentive and Readmissions Reduction Programs
Last week the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services published a proposal detailing how it envisions paying for Medicare services in FY 2019 under its inpatient prospective payment system. Yesterday this space featured a summary of the proposed changes in [...]
CMS Proposes Changes in Inpatient Rates, Medicare DSH, and Wage Index
Last week the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services published a proposal detailing how it envisions paying for Medicare services in FY 2019 under its inpatient prospective payment system. Yesterday this space features a summary of the proposed regulation, with [...]
