Thompson Will Run ‘Embattled’ HCFA for One Week
HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson will temporarily move his office to Baltimore, Md., beginning on April 30 to run the "embattled" HCFA for one week, he told members of the House Energy and Commerce health subcommittee April 26. "I want to find out first hand how we can do things better," Thompson, a self-described former "HCFA basher," said. During the hearing, Thompson defended HHS' budget, which calls for a "substantial increase" for HCFA -- "a tough sell" at the Office of Management and Budget, he said. Still, he said, "[I]f we want to change HCFA, we need the resources to do it." Thompson also urged Congress to reconsider a provision of the original Medicare law that allows hospitals to select their own "fiscal intermediaries" and reimburses them on a "cost-plus" basis. "It's something that has to be looked at," he said, but he conceded that "everybody who's got a contract and every member of Congress who's got an intermediary in their district" will oppose eliminating the provision. In addition, Thompson expressed "optimism" that Congress can pass Medicare reform legislation, including a prescription drug benefit.
Medical Privacy, Patients' Rights
During his first appearance before the committee, Thompson also "continued to walk a fine line" on medical privacy, promising to address "complaints" about the recently implemented rule -- such as a provision that requires providers and insurers to release only the "minimum amount (of) necessary" patient information -- while "not compromising protections" for patients. "It's a very complex rule," he said, adding, "We're looking at (the comments received) and are trying to figure out how to make meaningful changes." Thompson said he believed Congress would pass a patients' rights bill this year, but he also "indirectly chided" congressional members who support the "broader" Norwood-Dingell patients' rights bill that the House passed in 1999, saying, "[W]e've got to have some compromise from your side" (Rovner, CongressDaily/AM, 4/27). To view a Healthcast of this hearing, click here.
