CMS Crafts Plan B Over 340B Hospital Reimbursement Cuts In Response To Judge’s Ruling
A federal judge earlier in the year blocked the Trump administration's Medicare cuts to 340B hospitals, saying the new rates aren't lawful for 2018 and 2019. However, U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras did not grant hospitals the permanent injunction. Now CMS is walking a careful line with its new proposal. Other news from CMS involves hospital prices, transparency in quality information, patient data, and more.
Modern Healthcare:
CMS Eyes Smaller 340B Hospital Pay Cuts In Case Of Court Loss
The Trump administration hasn't given up on its 340B hospital reimbursement cuts, but officials have also come up with a smaller, alternative pay cut in case the CMS loses its ongoing court battle over the original plan. In the CMS' newly proposed outpatient payment rule released late Monday, the administration walked a careful line. The steep Medicare Part B cuts to 340B hospitals will continue for now, even though a federal judge has blocked them and demanded a government remedy to providers that saw the cuts. (Luthi, 7/30)
Modern Healthcare:
Hospitals Go All-In On Price Estimates, Guarantees For Patients
The CMS on Monday issued several proposed rules that, among other changes, would require hospitals to publish payer-negotiated prices for various services alongside standard gross charges. The goal is to make it easier for patients to understand the cost of a hospital service before accessing care, according to agency leadership. Starting in January 2019, the CMS began requiring hospitals to publish their list of retail charges for healthcare services—a move that's been roundly criticized since patients rarely pay those rates. (Cohen, 7/30)
Kaiser Health News:
Trump Administration Moves To Make Health Care Costs More Transparent
Shopping around for the best deal on a medical X-ray or a new knee? The Trump administration has a plan for that. On Monday, it proposed new rules that would provide consumers far more detail about the actual prices hospitals charge insurers. It comes amid growing calls from consumer advocates, who argue transparency can help tackle rising health care costs. But the plan also has the potential to overwhelm patients with data. (Appleby, 7/31)
Modern Healthcare:
CMS Considers The Value Of Hospitals Displaying Quality Data
The CMS is asking stakeholders if hospitals should report quality information on their websites alongside retail charges. Tucked within its 819-page Medicare Outpatient Prospective Payment System proposed rule this week, the CMS requested feedback on ways patients can have better access to quality data including the value of providers displaying information related to the volume and complication rates of procedures that would be listed alongside the retail charges hospitals are already required to show. (Castellucci, 7/30)
Modern Healthcare:
CMS Seeks Input On Sharing Patient Data 'Immediately'
The CMS hinted at some of the ways it plans to use technology to get patients more timely access to healthcare services and data as part of its latest set of proposed payment rules. The agency on Monday issued several proposed updates to its payment rules for 2020, including changes to the Medicare physician fee schedule and quality payment program. As part of its proposed changes to the Medicare physician fee schedule for next year, the CMS said it wants to add new codes for telehealth treatment for opioid use disorders. (Cohen, 7/30)
Modern Healthcare:
CMS Eyes Sweeping Regulatory Changes For Organ Transplant System
The CMS is eying a potentially massive regulatory overhaul for the two big players in organ transplants: the regional contractors that procure and distribute organs for transplant and the transplant centers themselves. The agency's announcement was embedded in an 800-page hospital regulatory proposal released on Monday night. It came as a sign that the Trump administration will continue working on the highly political and contentious policy issue that is the nation's organ allocation system. (Luthi, 7/30)
CQ:
CMS Pilot Program Aims To Integrate Fractured Medical Data
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on Tuesday unveiled a new initiative that aims to connect the dots between a patient’s health records held by different providers. The Data at the Point of Care, or DPC, demonstration seeks to bridge the data gap by connecting Medicare’s Blue Button — a tool that allows Medicare patients to download their health records and save them in computer files or apps — directly to a patient’s doctor. A doctor could then see claims data from a patient’s other providers that might not be accessible otherwise. (Clason, 7/30)
