Medicare

For 25 years, the 340B drug savings program, at no cost to the government, has enabled eligible hospitals to purchase certain outpatient drugs from pharmaceutical manufacturers at discounted prices. This allows the participating hospitals to use the savings from the discounts to provide an expanded…
A bipartisan group of six senators yesterday urged Senate leadership to include in a year-end package, legislation that would prevent a dramatic reduction in Medicare Part B payments for certain hospitals that participate in the 340B drug savings program. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid…
U.S. spending on health care grew 4.3% in 2016, down from 5.8% in 2015, primarily due to slower growth in spending for retail prescription drugs, hospital care, and physician and clinical services, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services reported today in Health Affairs. Spending growth…
Moody’s Investors Service yesterday revised its outlook for the nonprofit health care sector to negative from stable, projecting a continued decline in cash flow through 2018. “Revenue growth is under pressure because of very low reimbursement rate increases, an ongoing rise in government payers…
The AHA Friday expressed concern with certain policy options discussed by the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission at its November meeting. “We are primarily concerned about MedPAC’s potential recommendations regarding site-neutral payments to hospital-based off-campus [emergency departments] in…
Health care has been the top issue in Congress all year, and December is shaping up to be no different. The tax reform bills working their way through Congress could mean major changes for America’s hospitals and health systems.
The CMS Nov. 30 issued a final rule cancelling the cardiac and surgical hip and femur fracture treatment bundled payment models.
The Health Resources and Services Administration is reminding hospitals that participate in the 340B drug savings program that they must recertify by Dec. 6 or they will be terminated from the program. HRSA is required to recertify annually all participating covered entities enrolled in the 340B…
U.S. District Court Judge Rudolph Contreras will hear arguments Dec.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services this week is expected to release in its MLN Connects newsletter a notification requesting that hospitals review Worksheet S-10 data to ensure cost reports pass all recent edits. On Sept. 29, CMS released Transmittal 11, which modified the application…