Tag: MedPac
In brief: MedPAC finds no change in health outcomes, CMS suspends CERT reviews
April 17, 2020HME News Staff
WASHINGTON - Medicare spending for diabetes testing supplies decreased by 88% between 2010-2017, according to a new report from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, but health outcomes have remained stable.
Since the national mail-order program was implemented in 2013, the use of diabetes testing supplies is down overall, but retail sales of supplies is up, says the report, “Examining Impacts of the National Mail-Order Program on Medicare Service Utilization and Beneficiary Health Outcomes.”
MedPAC...
MedPAC updates healthcare spending
July 24, 2019HME News Staff
WASHINGTON - Medicare was the single largest purchaser of personal health care in 2017, according to a new report from the Medicare Payment Advisory Committee.Of the $3 trillion spent on personal healthcare that year, Medicare accounted for 22% or $660 billion, MedPAC says.Other findings from the report:· Medicare spending totaled $737 billion for benefit expenses in 2018. Managed care was the largest category (32%), followed by inpatient hospital services (20%) part...
In brief: Stakeholders now await final rule on bidding, MedPAC comments on proposed changes
September 14, 2018HME News Staff
WASHINGTON - A CMS proposed rule that, among other things, outlined changes to the competitive bidding program drew 514 comments by a Sept. 10 deadline.“This is an incredible leap from last week, when we reported 216 submissions,” VGM stated in a bulletin. “These comments are crucial to demonstrating the need for additional relief for the non-rural areas among the other areas where CMS fell short in their proposals.”The comments, which are public, can be read here.In...
MedPAC report takes CMS to task on orthotics
June 29, 2018Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
WASHINGTON - Although industry stakeholders disagree with a recent MedPAC recommendation to include off-the-shelf orthotics in Medicare's competitive bidding program, a recent report by the commission is, overall, on point, they say.“It's obvious the bid program is still a threat,” Todd Eagen, president of the Orthotic Prosthetic Group of America. “But there is some good news in the report and some continued educational efforts that our community needs to continue to focus on.”MedPAC's...
In brief: MedPAC makes case for ramping up bid program, several DME product categories dropped from Trump tariffs
June 22, 2018HME News Staff
WASHINGTON - MedPAC's June 2018 report to Congress recommends that CMS include more DMEPOS products in the competitive bidding program as a way to improve Medicare's payment policies and reduce fraud and abuse.“The CBP has successfully driven down the cost of DMEPOS products for the Medicare program and beneficiaries,” the report states. “Compared with payment rates in the year before the CBP, Medicare's payment rates for some of the highest expenditure products have fallen by an...
AAH updates: Bidding, MedPAC, Medicaid
June 21, 2018HME News Staff
AAHomecare submitted two letters to Health and Human Services and CMS officials this week. The first letter detailed long-term reforms for the competitive bidding program and highlighted seven priority recommendations that the association would like to see incorporated into the next round of the program. The second letter was a response to the President's Budget for FY2019 and identified seven proposals that would impact the HME industry, the most concerning of which being expanding the bid process...
MedPAC makes case for ramping up bid program
June 18, 2018Liz Beaulieu, Editor
WASHINGTON - MedPAC's June 2018 report to Congress recommends that CMS include more DMEPOS products in the competitive bidding program as a way to improve Medicare's payment policies and reduce fraud and abuse.“The CBP has successfully driven down the cost of DMEPOS products for the Medicare program and beneficiaries,” the report states. “Compared with payment rates in the year before the CBP, Medicare's payment rates for some of the highest expenditure products have fallen by an...
AAH on bid relief: 'We're not going away'
March 30, 2018Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
LAS VEGAS - After a brief timeout for Medtrade Spring in Las Vegas last week, AAHomecare officials are back at it in Washington, D.C.“We'll be lobbying again on the Hill with our champions,” President and CEO Tom Ryan told attendees at the Washington Update at Medtrade Spring on Wednesday. “We are also getting a meeting on the docket in the next week or so with (Health and Human Services) Deputy Secretary Eric Hargan. We're not going away.”Ryan acknowledged the sting of not...
Stakeholders: We're monitoring MedPAC
December 1, 2017Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
WASHINGTON - The Medicare Payment and Advisory Committee offered a mixed bag of observations about the competitive bidding program at a recent meeting, but they likely won't lead to any significant changes, say industry stakeholders.MedPAC plans to recommend that CMS shift more products away from the “excessive” fee schedule to bid rates.“There were different opinions among the various commissioners, with some saying it was great, but all they are doing is looking at the decrease...
MedPAC to CMS: Shift more products into bid program
November 22, 2017HME News Staff
WASHINGTON - The Medicare Payment Advisory Committee made payment policy recommendations for non-competitively bid DMEPOS during a meeting earlier this month, according to Epstein Becker & Green, a healthcare law firm. MedPAC plans to recommend that CMS shift more products away from the “excessive” fee schedule to bid rates. It also plans to call for “immediate reduced payment rates for certain non-CBP products while CMS works on incorporating them into the CBP,” the law firm...