MedPAC’s December 2022 public meeting was held virtually via video conference on the GoToWebinar platform.
Agenda
12/08/2022 . 10:15 am - 11:55 am
Assessing payment adequacy and updating payments: Hospital inpatient and outpatient services; and supporting Medicare safety-net hospitals
Staff Contacts:
ISSUE: By law, each year the Commission reviews Medicare’s fee-for-service payment policies and makes payment update recommendations. For our March 2023 Report to the Congress, we consider whether Medicare inpatient and outpatient payments to general acute care hospitals are adequate and how they should be updated in 2024. This year, we also consider whether disproportionate share hospital and uncompensated care payments could be better targeted to hospitals that treat a high share of Medicare beneficiaries with low incomes.
KEY POINTS: We examine beneficiaries’ access to hospital care, quality of care, hospitals’ access to capital, and the relationship between Medicare’s payments and hospitals’ costs. We also consider how best to support Medicare safety-net hospitals through a Commission-developed measure called the Safety-Net Index.
ACTION: Commissioners will review the payment adequacy indicators and discuss appropriate updates to Medicare payment rates for 2024.
12/08/2022 . 12:00 pm - 12:45 pm
Status report: Ambulatory surgical center services
Staff Contacts:
ISSUE: Historically, the Commission has reviewed Medicare’s FFS payment policies for ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs) and made payment update recommendations each year.
KEY POINTS: The Commission’s assessment of payment adequacy for ASC services has been hampered by a lack of cost data and concerns about available quality data. The Commission has recommended since 2010 that the Congress require ASCs to submit cost data.
ACTION: Commissioners will review and discuss information about the supply of ASCs, beneficiaries’ use of ASC services, and Medicare’s payments to ASCs.
12/08/2022 . 2:00 pm - 3:40 pm
Assessing payment adequacy and updating payments: Physician and other health professional services; and supporting Medicare safety-net clinicians
Staff Contacts:
ISSUE: By law, each year the Commission reviews Medicare’s fee-for-service payment policies and makes payment update recommendations. We consider whether payments to physicians and other health professionals are adequate and how they should be updated in 2024. This year, we also consider a new safety-net add-on payment to physician fee schedule payment rates to support clinicians who treat beneficiaries with low incomes.
KEY POINTS: We assess beneficiaries’ access to clinician care, quality of care, and the relationship between Medicare’s payments and clinicians’ costs. We also provide a rationale and impact analysis for new add-on payments for clinicians who treat low-income Medicare beneficiaries.
ACTION: Commissioners will review the findings and discuss the Chair’s draft recommendations.
12/08/2022 . 3:45 pm - 4:40 pm
Assessing payment adequacy and updating payments: Outpatient dialysis services
Staff Contacts:
ISSUE: By law, each year the Commission reviews Medicare’s fee-for-service payment policies and makes recommendations. For our March 2023 Report to the Congress, we consider whether Medicare payments for outpatient dialysis services are adequate and how they should be updated in 2024.
KEY POINTS: We examine beneficiaries’ access to dialysis services, quality of care, facilities’ access to capital, and the relationship between Medicare’s payments and facilities’ costs.
ACTION: Commissioners will review the findings and discuss the Chair’s draft recommendations.
12/08/2022 . 4:45 pm - 5:45 pm
Assessing payment adequacy and updating payments: Hospice services
Staff Contacts:
ISSUE: By law, each year the Commission reviews Medicare’s fee-for-service payment policies and makes payment update recommendations. For our March 2023 Report to the Congress, we consider whether payments to hospice providers are adequate and how they should be updated in 2024.
KEY POINTS: We examine beneficiaries’ access to hospice care, quality of care, hospices’ access to capital, and the relationship between Medicare’s payments and hospices’ costs.
ACTION: Commissioners will review the findings and discuss the Chair’s draft recommendations.
12/09/2022 . 9:00 am - 10:10 am
Assessing payment adequacy and updating payments: Skilled nursing facility services
Staff Contacts:
ISSUE: By law, each year the Commission reviews Medicare’s fee-for-service payment policies and makes payment update recommendations. For our March 2023 Report to the Congress, we consider whether Medicare payments to skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) are adequate and how they should be updated in 2024.
KEY POINTS: We examine beneficiaries’ access to SNF care, quality of care, SNFs’ access to capital, and the relationship between Medicare’s payments and SNFs’ costs.
ACTION: Commissioners will review the findings and discuss the Chair’s draft recommendations.
12/09/2022 . 10:15 am - 11:10 am
Assessing payment adequacy and updating payments: Home health care services
Staff Contacts:
ISSUE: By law, each year the Commission reviews Medicare’s fee-for-service payment policies and makes payment update recommendations. For our March 2023 Report to the Congress, we consider whether Medicare payments for home health care services are adequate and how they should be updated in 2024.
KEY POINTS: We examine beneficiaries’ access to home health care, quality of care, HHAs’ access to capital, and the relationship between Medicare’s payments and HHAs’ costs.
ACTION: Commissioners will review the findings and discuss the Chair’s draft recommendations.
12/09/2022 . 11:15 am - 12:00 pm
Assessing payment adequacy and updating payments: Inpatient rehabilitation facility services
Staff Contacts:
ISSUE: By law, each year the Commission reviews Medicare’s fee-for-service payment policies and makes payment update recommendations. For our March 2023 Report to the Congress, we consider whether payments to inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs) are adequate and how they should be updated in 2024.
KEY POINTS: We examine beneficiaries’ access to IRF care, quality of care, IRFs’ access to capital, and the relationship between Medicare’s payments and IRFs’ costs.
ACTION: Commissioners will review the findings and discuss the Chair’s draft recommendations.