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 inpatient and outpatient services (3)The Secretary should reevaluate the labor share used in the wage index system that geographically adjusts rates in the inpatient PPS, with any resulting changed phased in over two years. |
|
February 2003 |
Hospital inpatient and outpatient services (4)The Congress should raise the inpatient base rate for hospitals in rural and other urban areas to the level of the rate for those in large urban areas, phased in over two years. |
|
February 2003 |
Hospital inpatient and outpatient services (5)The Congress should raise the cap on the disproportionate share add-on a hospital can receive in the inpatient PPS from 5.25 percent to 10 percent, phased in over two years. |
|
February 2003 |
Hospital inpatient and outpatient services (6)The Congress should increase payment rates for the inpatient PPS by the rate of increase in the hospital market basket, less 0.4 percent, for fiscal year 2004. |
|
February 2003 |
Hospital inpatient and outpatient services (7)The Congress should increase payment rates for the outpatient PPS by the rate of increase in the hospital market basket, less 0.9 percent, for calendar year 2004. |
|
February 2003 |
Outpatient dialysis servicesThe Congress should update the composite rate payment by the projected change in input prices, less 0.9 percent, for calendar year 2004. |
|
February 2003 |
Payment for new technologies in Medicare’s prospective payment systemsThe Secretary should introduce clinical criteria for eligibility of drugs and biologicals to receive pass-through payments under the outpatient prospective payment system. |
|
February 2003 |
Physician servicesThe Congress should update payments for physician services by the projected change in input prices, less an adjustment for productivity growth of 0.9 percent, for 2004. |
|
February 2003 |
Skilled nursing facility services (1)The Secretary should continue a series of nationally representative studies on access to skilled nursing facility services (similar to studies previously conducted by the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General). |
|
February 2003 |
Skilled nursing facility services (2)The Congress should eliminate the update to payment rates for skilled nursing facility services for fiscal year 2004. |
|
February 2003 |