‘Ill-Conceived,’ ‘Devastating’: Comments Flood In Over Medicare Part B Plan, And They Are Not Glowing
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services proposes dropping payment from 6 percent to 2.5 percent of a drug's average sales while adding a flat payment of $16.80 per drug a day. The deadline for comments is May 9, and most of the 600 the agency has received have been negative.
Modern Healthcare:
CMS Feels The Heat To Change Medicare Part B Drug Pay Plan
The pressure is on for the CMS to transform or even drop its recently proposed plan to change the way it pays hospitals and doctors for outpatient drugs covered by Medicare Part B.Comments about the proposed rule are flooding the agency before the May 9 deadline and most of the 600 opinions received so far are negative.“The Part B Drug Payment Model is ill-conceived. It implies that physicians and their practices are the cause of high medical costs,” said Dr. Bruce Hayton, an oncologist based in Wildomar, Calif., in a letter. (Dickson, 5/4)
Meanwhile, acting CMS Administrator Andy Slavitt wants doctors' opinions on MARCA —
Modern Healthcare:
CMS Requests Doc Input On MACRA
CMS Acting Administrator Andy Slavitt struck a strongly conciliatory tone Wednesday at the second meeting of the committee created to evaluate payment models to be used in Medicare's new reimbursement for physicians. (Muchmore, 5/4)