MedPAC discusses draft 2018 payment recommendations for hospital services

The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission today discussed a draft recommendation that would update payments for hospital inpatient and outpatient services in 2018 as outlined under current law, that is, an estimated 1.85%. In addition, MedPAC discussed a draft recommendation that would require Medicare to add a modifier on claims for all services provided at off-campus stand-alone emergency department facilities. In other sessions today, MedPAC discussed draft recommendations that would update physician payments in accordance with current law (estimated at 0.5%), provide no update to payments for ambulatory surgery centers, and require Medicare to calculate Medicare Advantage benchmarks using fee-for-service spending data only for beneficiaries enrolled in Parts A and B. The commission also is expected to consider draft recommendations related to post-acute care during the meeting. In January, the commission is expected to vote on final payment recommendations for 2018.