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) | Date |
|---|---|---|
Hospital short-stay policy issues (3)The Congress should revise the skilled nursing facility three-inpatient-day hospital eligibility requirement to allow for up to two outpatient observation days to count toward meeting the criterion. |
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June 2015 |
Hospital short-stay policy issues (4)The Congress should require acute-care hospitals to notify beneficiaries placed in outpatient observation status that their observation status may affect their financial liability for skilled nursing facility care. The notice should be provided to patients in observation status for more than 24 hours and who are expected to need skilled nursing services. The notice should… Read more » |
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June 2015 |
Hospital inpatient and outpatient servicesThe Congress should direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: reduce or eliminate differences in payment rates between outpatient departments and physician offices for selected ambulatory payment classifications. set long-term care hospital base payment rates for non-chronically critically ill cases equal to those of acute care hospitals and redistribute the savings to create… Read more » |
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March 2014 |
Hospital inpatient and outpatient servicesThe Congress should increase payment rates for the inpatient and outpatient prospective payment systems in 2014 by 1 percent. For inpatient services, the Congress should also require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to use the difference between the statutory update and the recommended 1 percent update to offset increases in payment rates due… Read more » |
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March 2013 |
Hospital inpatient and outpatient services (1)The Congress should increase payment rates for the inpatient and outpatient prospective payment systems in 2013 by 1 percent. For inpatient services, the Congress should also require the Secretary of Health and Human Services beginning in 2013 to use the difference between the increase under current law and the Commission’s recommended update to gradually recover… Read more » |
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March 2012 |
Hospital inpatient and outpatient servicesThe Congress should increase payment rates for the acute care hospital inpatient and outpatient prospective payment systems in 2012 by 1 percent. The Congress should also require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make adjustments to inpatient payment rates in future years to fully recover all overpayments due to documentation and coding improvements. |
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March 2011 |
Graduate medical education financing: Focusing on educational priorities (1)The Congress should authorize the Secretary to change Medicare’s funding of graduate medical education (GME) to support the workforce skills needed in a delivery system that reduces cost growth while maintaining or improving quality. The Secretary should establish the standards for distributing funds after consultation with representatives that include accrediting organizations, training programs, health care… Read more » |
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June 2010 |
Graduate medical education financing: Focusing on educational priorities (2)The Secretary should annually publish a report that shows Medicare medical education payments received by each hospital and each hospital’s associated costs. This report should be publicly accessible and clearly identify each hospital, the direct and indirect medical education payments received, the number of residents and other health professionals that Medicare supports, and Medicare’s share… Read more » |
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June 2010 |
Graduate medical education financing: Focusing on educational priorities (3)The Secretary should conduct workforce analysis to determine the number of residency positions needed in the United States in total and by specialty. In addition, analysis should examine and consider the optimal level and mix of other health professionals. This work should be based on the workforce requirements of health care delivery systems that provide… Read more » |
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June 2010 |
Graduate medical education financing: Focusing on educational priorities (4)The Secretary should report to the Congress on how residency programs affect the financial performance of sponsoring institutions and whether residency programs in all specialties should be supported equally. |
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June 2010 |