Short and sweet news from Duke Health Government Relations
08/26/2019
We're in the midst of Congress's annual August recess, which takes representatives and senators back to their home districts and states to meet with constituents. This is also the time of year that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) proposes annual payment updates for things like inpatient care, outpatient care, and physician services under Medicare.
CMS publishes proposed rules to announce and explain the agency's plans for paying providers in the next fiscal or calendar year. In general, CMS sets a public comment period for 30 to 60 days, although the time period can vary, and it must consider every comment in finalizing a rule.
Most recently, CMS finalized the rule for inpatient care, which increased payment for Medicare inpatient spending by three percent and increased how much it would pay for new therapies like CAR-T. In July, CMS released proposed rules for the 2020 Outpatient Prospective Payment System and the Physician Fee Schedule. Among other things, CMS proposes to require hospitals to disclose their payer-specific negotiated rates; to continue cuts in Part B drug payments to 340B hospitals; and to set separate payment rates for all levels of visits rather than the blended rate that was finalized last year. The public comment period for both proposed rules closes September 27.
Why is this rulemaking important to Duke Health? Because these payment rules can establish new policies for patient care and set payment for providers who care for Medicare patients. Our office works to compile feedback from various teams from across the health system and submit comments to ensure our voice is heard in this important annual process.
If you want more information on any of these issues, contact Catherine Liao in Government Relations. Thanks for reading, and see you next time!