Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Medicare, FDA Officials Call For Medical Devices To Have ID Numbers On Billing Records
The Wall Street Journal: Medicare Backs ID Numbers For Medical Devices
The federal Medicare agency has endorsed the use of unique identification numbers in billing records for medical devices, a move safety advocates say is crucial in helping detect malfunctions in devices such as heart defibrillators, blood filters and hip and knee joints. The move is a shift for the agency, which hadn’t recommended such a step before, though it has for years been advocated by many lawmakers and officials at the Food and Drug Administration. (Burton, 7/14)
Modern Healthcare: CMS And FDA Advocate For Device Identifiers On Claims Forms
The heads of the CMS and the Food and Drug Administration want universal health insurance claims forms to include unique device identifiers. The UDI would improve post-market surveillance and provide for better value-based reimbursement based on device performance, they say. CMS Administrator Andy Slavitt and FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf wrote Wednesday to the chair of the Accredited Standards Committee X12, or ASC X12, to ask that the organization add UDIs for implantable medical devices on claims forms. (Rubenfire, 7/14)
And in a surprise about doctors' pay —
Modern Healthcare: Holy MACRA! Half Of Docs Have Never Heard Of Medicare Payment Reform
Half of non-pediatric physicians have never heard of the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015—a new CMS payment plan that will put 4% or more of their Medicare reimbursement at risk beginning in 2019, according to a new survey by Deloitte & Touche. With CMS preparing final rules this autumn, just 21% of self-employed or small-group physicians and 9% of physicians employed by hospitals or larger groups were even somewhat familiar with the pending reimbursement changes, the survey showed. (Barkholz, 7/14)
