MedPAC Talks Telehealth
Expanded telehealth is here to stay, members of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission agreed at their September public meeting. What they do not yet know is in what form. Among the issues that need to be addressed in any post-COVID-19 [...]
MedPAC Meets
Last week the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission met in Washington, D.C. to discuss a number of Medicare payment issues. The issues on MedPAC’s September agenda were: the coronavirus pandemic and Medicare context for Medicare payment policy report on the Protecting Access [...]
NASH Asks Congress to Help Prevent Attempt to Undermine 340B
Pharmaceutical companies are attempting to prevent safety-net hospitals and others from receiving the full benefits of the section 340B prescription drug discount program and the National Alliance of Safety-Net Hospitals is asking members of the House of Representatives to sign [...]
CMS Finalizes FY 2021 Payments to Hospitals
Medicare has announced how it will pay hospitals for inpatient care in FY 2021 with publication of its annual inpatient prospective payment system regulation last week. Among the changes announced by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services: A 2.9 [...]
Coronavirus Update for Friday, September 4
The following is the latest COVID-19 information from the federal government as of 12:15 p.m. on Friday, September 4. Provider Relief Fund Reminder: Applications are currently open for Phase 2 general distribution funding for Medicaid, Medicaid managed care, the Children's Health Insurance Program [...]
How Medicaid Managed Care Cuts Costs
Low-cost Medicaid managed care plans mostly cut their costs by reducing how much care, and how much high-quality care, their members receive. That is the conclusion of a new study published by the National Bureau of Economic Research. According to [...]
Coronavirus Update for Monday, August 31
The following is the latest COVID-19 information from the federal government as of 2:30 p.m. on Monday, August 31. Provider Relief Fund The Department of Health and Human Services has updated its CARES Act Provider Relief Fund FAQ. Six questions [...]
340B Benefits in Jeopardy?
340B discounts appear to be in jeopardy as pharmaceutical companies make it more difficult for qualified hospitals to get access to discounted prescription drugs. One pharmaceutical company reportedly will stop offering discounted drugs to contract pharmacies; another proposes limiting sales [...]
CMS Provides Guidance on Medicaid DSH Calculations
State Medicaid program accounting for hospital uncompensated care when calculating hospital-specific Medicaid disproportionate share limits is the subject of new guidance from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. In the guidance, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services explains [...]
Coronavirus Update for Thursday, August 27
The following is the latest COVID-19 information from the federal government as of 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, August 27. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services CMS has provided new guidance on completing Medicare reports: specifically, how providers should report Provider [...]
