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Advising the Congress on Medicare issues
MedPAC > Recommendations

Commission Recommendations

MedPAC makes recommendations to the Congress and to the Secretary of Health and Human Services on issues affecting the administration of the Medicare program. With its recommendations, the Commission strives to improve the delivery of care, while ensuring financial stability and maximizing value for the program. After extensive analysis and evaluation, our recommendations are discussed and voted on by Commissioners in our public meetings. Recommendations are typically published in two main reports, released in March and June of each year.

Recommendations Topic(s) Publication

Ambulatory surgical center services (2)

The Secretary should require ambulatory surgical centers to report cost data.

  • Ambulatory care settings

March 2022 - Chapter 5

Outpatient dialysis services

For calendar year 2023, the Congress should update the 2022 Medicare end-stage renal disease prospective payment system base rate by the amount determined under current law.

  • Ambulatory care settings

March 2022 - Chapter 6

Skilled nursing facility services

For fiscal year 2023, the Congress should reduce the 2022 Medicare base payment rates for skilled nursing facilities by 5 percent.

  • Post-acute care

March 2022 - Chapter 7

Home health care services (1)

For calendar year 2023, the Congress should reduce the 2022 Medicare base payment rates for home health agencies by 5 percent.

  • Post-acute care

March 2022 - Chapter 8

Home health care services (2)

The Secretary should require that home health agencies report telehealth services provided during a 30-day period.

  • Post-acute care

March 2022 - Chapter 8

Inpatient rehabilitation facility services

For fiscal year 2023, the Congress should reduce the 2022 Medicare base payment rate for inpatient rehabilitation facilities by 5 percent.

  • Post-acute care

March 2022 - Chapter 9

Long-term care hospital services

For fiscal year 2023, the Secretary should increase the 2022 Medicare base payment rate for long-term care hospitals by the estimate of market basket minus the applicable productivity adjustment.

  • Post-acute care

March 2022 - Chapter 10

Hospice services (1)

For fiscal year 2023, the Congress should eliminate the update to the 2022 Medicare base payment rates for hospice and wage adjust and reduce the hospice aggregate cap by 20 percent.

  • Post-acute care

March 2022 - Chapter 11

Hospice services (2)

The Secretary should require that hospices report telehealth services on Medicare claims.

  • Post-acute care

March 2022 - Chapter 11

Improving Medicare’s policies for separately payable drugs in the hospital outpatient prospective payment system (1)

The Congress should direct the Secretary to modify the pass-through drug policy in the hospital outpatient prospective payment system so that it: includes only drugs and biologics that function as supplies to a service and applies only to drugs and biologics that are clinically superior to their packaged analogs.

  • Drugs, Devices, and Tests
  • Hospital

June 2021 - Chapter 8