Hundreds of Hospitals Penalized for Medical Mistakes
786 hospitals will see their Medicare payments slashed one percent for a year because of their performance under Medicare’s hospital-acquired conditions reduction program. That program penalizes the 25 percent of hospitals with the highest rate of patient safety problems, such [...]
Implications of Medicaid Block Grants
States will be able to pursue new Medicaid block grants under guidance recently sent by federal regulators to state Medicaid directors. But what does that mean? In a new article, the Commonwealth Fund examines how the Centers for Medicare & [...]
Not Surprisingly, Higher Medicaid Rates Improve Access
Higher Medicaid payments for substance abuse disorder treatment lead to better access to such treatment, a new report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office has concluded. According to the study, which focused on six states, State officials and SUD [substance [...]
NASH Unveils 2020 Advocacy Agenda
The National Alliance of Safety-Net Hospitals has published its 2020 advocacy agenda. To advance the interests of private safety-net hospitals, in the coming year NASH will: Continue to address the major policy challenges of 2019 that had not been resolved [...]
NASH Urges CMS to Withdraw Medicaid Fiscal Accountability Regulation
CMS should withdraw its proposed Medicaid fiscal accountability regulation, NASH wrote in formal comments in response to the proposed regulation. In its comment letter, the National Alliance of Safety-Net Hospitals wrote that While NASH supports greater transparency in Medicaid, that [...]
CMS Introduces New Approach to Medicaid Block Grants
States would be able to convert part of their Medicaid programs into block grants under a new program introduced by the federal government. The program, which the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services calls “Healthy Adult Opportunity,” would encompass services [...]
Supreme Court Lifts Public Charge Rule Ban
The U.S. can now reject visa and green card applicants based on their financial prospects after a new Supreme Court ruling this week. This ruling has potential long-term implications for health care providers. Last August a new Department of Homeland [...]
340B Doesn’t Drive Up Hospital Drug Spending, MedPAC Says
Hospitals do not prescribe more expensive drugs because they know the 340B program will help pay for them. That is the conclusion drawn in a recent analysis by the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission. Prescription drug spending has risen markedly in [...]
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 January agenda were: The Medicare prescription drug program (Part D): status report and options for restructuring Redesigning the [...]
