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.
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Skilled nursing facility services (2)The Congress should eliminate the fiscal year 2020 update to the Medicare base payment rates for skilled nursing facilities. |
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Using payment to ensure appropriate access to and use of hospital emergency department services (1)The Congress should: allow isolated rural stand-alone emergency departments (more than 35 miles from another emergency department) to bill standard outpatient prospective payment system facility fees and provide such emergency departments with annual payments to assist with fixed costs. |
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Using payment to ensure appropriate access to and use of hospital emergency department services (2)The Congress should reduce Type A emergency department rates by 30 percent for off-campus stand-alone emergency departments that are within six miles of an on-campus hospital emergency department. |
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Ambulatory surgical center servicesThe Congress should eliminate the calendar year 2019 update to the Medicare payment rates for ambulatory surgical centers. The Congress should also require ambulatory surgical centers to submit cost data. |
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Home health care servicesThe Congress should reduce Medicare payments to home health agencies by 5 percent in calendar year (CY) 2019 and implement a two-year rebasing of the payment system beginning in CY 2020. The Congress should direct the Secretary to revise the prospective payment system to eliminate the use of therapy visits as a factor in payment… Read more » |
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Hospice servicesThe Congress should eliminate the fiscal year 2019 update to the Medicare payment rates for hospice services. |
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Hospital inpatient and outpatient servicesFor 2019, the Congress should update the 2018 Medicare base payment rates (inpatient and outpatient) for acute care hospitals by the amount determined under current law. |
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Inpatient rehabilitation facility servicesThe Congress should reduce the fiscal year 2019 Medicare payment rate for inpatient rehabilitation facilities by 5 percent. Additionally, the Commission reiterates its March 2016 recommendations on the inpatient rehabilitation facility prospective payment system. |
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Long-term care hospital servicesThe Secretary should eliminate the fiscal year 2019 Medicare payment update for long-term care hospitals. |
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Mandated report: Telehealth services and the Medicare programVote to forward telehealth report to Congress. |
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