Court Rebuffs HHS on Two-Midnight Rule Pay Cut
A federal court has told the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that it will have to do more to justify a 0.2 percent cut in inpatient payment rates that is part of the controversial Medicare two-midnight rule. The [...]
Better Medicaid Data Needed, Governors Say
States need better data to meet the needs of Medicaid recipients with complex medical needs, according to the National Governors Association (NGA). One of the biggest costs in state Medicaid programs is “super-utilizers”: patients who consume a significant amount of [...]
NAUH Talks Medicare DSH With Congressional Committee
Last week representatives of the National Association of Urban Hospitals (NAUH) met with staff of the House Ways and Means Committee’s Health Subcommittee to offer the association’s views on H.R. 3288, the Strengthening DSH and Medicare Through Subsidy Recapture and [...]
Medicare Readmissions Program Unfair to Safety-Net Hospitals, Study Finds
Medicare’s readmissions reduction program penalizes hospitals based largely on the patients they serve rather than their performance serving them, a new study has concluded. According to the report “Patient Characteristics and Differences in Hospital Readmission Rates,” published in the journal [...]
MedPAC Looks at Various Issues at September Public Meeting
The independent federal agency that advises Congress on Medicare payment issues held its monthly public meeting in Washington, D.C. During the two days of meetings, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) discussed its work on six specific issues: developing a [...]
Medicare Proposes Addressing Health Disparities
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has unveiled its first plan to reduce health disparities among Medicare beneficiaries by addressing social determinants of health. The plan, produced by CMS’s Office of Minority Health and titled “The CMS Equity [...]
NAUH Comments on Proposed Joint Replacement Program
Earlier this summer the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation proposed a new “Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacements Model” (CCJR) program designed to foster better coordination of services and efficiency in [...]
Socio-Economic Status Affects Health, Study Shows
A new study by California state public health officials has concluded that demographic factors have a major influence on individuals’ health. Among the social determinants of health specifically cited in the study are education, employment status, gender identity, race and [...]
Feds Issue Proposed Guidance for 340B Program
The federal Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has issued proposed guidelines governing its section 340B Drug Pricing Program. The 340B program, which requires pharmaceutical companies to provide discounted drugs for qualified providers to dispense to low-income patients, has become [...]
Changes Coming For Medicare Hospital-Acquired Condition Reduction Program
In response to the concerns of hospitals, Medicare is planning changes in its hospital-acquired condition reduction program. The program, a product of the Affordable Care Act, penalizes hospitals that perform poorest on measures designed to identify medical problems their patients [...]
