Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Permanent 'Doc Fix' Did Not Lock In Rates For Other Medicare Expenses Congress Must Still Fund
Marketplace: How Congress Solved One Problem But Created Another
Congress used to do a little dance each year called the "doc fix." Every year, doctors treating Medicare patients faced a big pay cut. Every year, Congress passed a short-term fix. And mixed in with the fix was funding for other Medicare expenses, such as physical therapy or ambulance rides. But there’s no fix this year, because Congress passed a permanent solution, locking in yearly raises. (Marshall-Genzer, 9/28)
The Associated Press: Medicare's $30M Ambulance-Ride Mystery
Medicare paid $30 million for ambulance rides for which no record exists that patients got medical care at their destination, the place where they were picked up or other critical information. The mystery ambulance rides are part of a bigger problem with Medicare payments for transporting patients, according to a federal audit being released Tuesday. (9/29)
Marketplace: Doctors Prepare For New Codes To Catalog Illnesses
The nation's healthcare system is preparing for a big transition on October 1, when all healthcare providers and insurers will switch to a new coding system for cataloging various diagnoses. The change is mandated by the Medicare system, and Sean Cavanaugh, the director of the Center for Medicare, said it's overdue. (Safo, 9/28)
CQ HealthBeat: Insurer-Run Medicare Plans Pressured To Guarantee Doctor Supply
Connecticut Democrat Rosa DeLauro said she will introduce a bill that would make it tougher for Medicare plans to drop doctors and other health providers from their networks, adding to pressure on insurers to maintain more robust offerings for their customers. DeLauro also on Monday released a Government Accountability Office report she and other lawmakers requested, which found that federal officials have been “largely reactive” in their monitoring of the adequacy of the networks of health professionals offered by these plans. (Young, 9/28)
And in other news reporting about Medicare providers -
CQ HealthBeat: End-Of-Life Counseling Plan Draws More Supporters Than Critics
Medicare officials received more support than criticism for a plan to pay for time spent counseling people about their medical options in case of terminal illness or failing health, an approach that was derided in the past as a path toward so-called death panels. CQ HealthBeat examined comments submitted on a 2016 Medicare physician payment rule that were available last week. About 600 statements specifically mentioned the terms “advance care planning,” “end of life” or “death panels.” Of these, about 500 supported end-of-life counseling, with most calling on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to finalize a plan to create a new payment for it through the 2016 rule affecting doctors’ payments. About 100 comments raised objections. (Young, 9/28)
Modern Healthcare: Hundreds Of Hospitals Said To Settle In Federal Probe Of Cardiac Procedures
Hundreds of hospitals are believed to have settled with the government as part of a yearslong, nationwide investigation into the suspected overuse of implantable cardioverter defibrillators, or ICDs, according to lawyers with knowledge of the cases. (Schencker, 9/28)
