The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission met in Washington, D.C. recently to discuss various Medicare payment issues.

Among the issues discussed at MedPAC’s January meeting were:

• hospital inpatient and outpatient payments
• physician and health professionals payments
• the possible expansion of the post-acute transfer policy to hospice
• ambulatory surgical center, outpatient dialysis, and hospice payments
• Medicare payments for skilled nursing facilities, long-term hospitals, inpatient rehabilitation facilities, and home health services
• the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation’s development and implementation of alternative payment models
• the future of telehealth after the COVID-19 public health emergency ends
• a status report on the Medicare Part D prescription drug program
• a report on the skilled nursing facility value-based purchasing program and a proposed replacement for that program
• Medicare’s vaccine coverage and payment policies

MedPAC is an independent congressional agency that advises Congress on issues involving Medicare.  While its recommendations are not binding on either Congress or the administration, MedPAC is highly influential in governing circles and its recommendations often find their way into legislation, regulations, and new public policy.  Because so many patients of private safety-net hospitals are insured by Medicare, MedPAC’s deliberations are especially important to those hospitals.

Go here for links to the policy briefs and presentations that supported MedPAC’s discussion of these issues and go here for a transcript of the two days of meetings.