Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Medicare Sets 2015 Provider Rates, Weighs Payment For End-Of-Life Counseling
Reuters: U.S. Medicare Sets New Hospital, Doctor Payments For 2015
The U.S. Medicare program's payment rate for hospital outpatient services will increase 2.3 percent in calendar year 2015, while the rate for ambulatory surgical services will rise 1.4 percent, the federal government announced on Friday. The Medicare health insurance program for the elderly and disabled will also begin to pay doctors a monthly fee to coordinate care for patients with multiple chronic conditions in 2015, a government statement said. (10/31)
The Associated Press: Medicare Weighs Paying For End-Of-Life Counseling
Medicare said Friday it will consider paying doctors to counsel patients about their options for end-of-life care, the same idea that spurred accusations of "death panels" and fanned a political furor around President Barack Obama's health care law five years ago. The announcement came in a voluminous regulation on physician payment. It will "give the public ample opportunity to weigh in on the topic," said Medicare spokesman Aaron Albright. (10/31)
Modern Healthcare: CMS Final Rule Requires Sunshine Act Reporting Of CME Payments
Doctors will be paid for Medicare care coordination, wellness and behavioral health telehealth visits. But, under final rules issued by the CMS late Friday, physicians also could see all Medicare payments cut by roughly 21% in April if the Medicare sustainable growth rate formula cuts are allowed to take effect. In addition, the rule eliminates a controversial reporting exemption under the Physician Payments Sunshine Act for indirect financial ties between industry and physicians. It expands quality-performance penalties to all doctors. And it contains new quality criteria for the Medicare Shared Savings Program, a test of the accountable care payment and delivery model that now includes more than 300 accountable care organizations. (Evans, 10/31)
The Wall Street Journal: Federal-Benefit Changes For 2015
When you do the math on the increases in Social Security benefits and Medicare part A and B payments, then lump them with the changing costs of food, gas and health care, senior and disabled Americans still face tight budgets in 2015—and some could find themselves in a hole. (Waters, 11/01)
Other news outlets examine changes to keep seniors safe from falls and to allow them to age in their homes -
The New York Times: Bracing For The Falls Of An Aging Nation
As the population ages and people live longer in bad shape, the number of older Americans who fall and suffer serious, even fatal, injuries is soaring. So the retirement communities, assisted living facilities and nursing homes where millions of Americans live are trying to balance safety and their residents’ desire to live as they choose. ... The dangers are real. The number of people over 65 who died after a fall reached nearly 24,000 in 2012, the most recent year for which fatality numbers are available — almost double the number 10 years earlier, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Hafner, 11/2)
The Washington Post: Efforts To Enable Americans To Age In Place Are Expanding, Survey Shows
A new survey of hundreds of federally sponsored local agencies that assist aging Americans has found increased efforts to help the elderly remain in their homes as they grow older, a policy known as aging in place. A 2013 survey by the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging found that more than 70 percent of local service providers now offer programs to help people find alternatives to nursing homes or other institutional care. That’s up from less than a third in 2008, the survey said. (Kunkle, 11/1)
Also in the news is a report about Medicare officials' plans for audits of Advantage plans -
Center For Public Integrity: More Scrutiny Coming For Medicare Advantage, Obamacare
Federal officials are planning a wide range of audits into billing and government spending on managed health care in the new fiscal year, ranging from private Medicare Advantage groups that treat millions of elderly to health plans rapidly expanding under the Affordable Care Act. The Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, which investigates Medicare and Medicaid waste, fraud and abuse, said it would conduct “various reviews” of Medicare Advantage billing practices with an eye toward curbing overcharges. Results are due next year. (Schulte, 11/3)
