MedPAC Report Stumps for SGR Repeal, 1% Hospital Pay Increase - and - H.R. 5 Headed to a Vote -- Contact Your Representative Now!

CAL/AAEM News Service - BP calaaem.news.service at gmail.com
Wed Mar 21 21:46:04 PDT 2012


Description: Description: Description: Description: Description: CAL/AAEM:
California Chapter of the American Academy of Emergency Medicine

March 16, 2012

 

MedPAC Report Stumps for SGR Repeal, 1% Hospital Pay Increase 

 

California Healthline
<http://www.californiahealthline.org/articles/2012/3/16/medpac-report-stumps
-for-sgr-repeal-1-hospital-pay-increase.aspx#ixzz1pKFD6LDw> 

 

 

In its annual report to Congress on Thursday, the Medicare Payment Advisory
Commission recommended increasing certain hospital payments and urged
lawmakers to overhaul the sustainable growth-rate formula, Modern Healthcare
reports.

 

The 443-page report presents the group's Medicare payment policy
suggestions, which were approved by its commissioners in January.

 

Report Recommendations

 

MedPAC recommends that Congress increase hospital inpatient and outpatient
care payments by 1% in fiscal year 2013 (Zigmond, Modern Healthcare, 3/15).
MedPAC also calls for reducing payments for evaluation and management visits
in hospital outpatient departments to the rate of free-standing physicians'
offices across three years.

 

In addition, the report recommends a: 

. 0.5% payment increase for ambulatory surgical centers; 

. 1% payment increase for outpatient dialysis services; and 

. 0.5% payment increase for hospice services (MedPAC factsheet, March 2012).


 

MedPAC did not recommend increasing payments for skilled-nursing facilities,
long-term-care hospitals, or inpatient rehabilitation facilities (Modern
Healthcare, 3/15). 

 

MedPAC Reiterates Support for SGR Repeal 

 

MedPAC in its report continued to urge Congress to repeal the SGR formula
and replace it with a 10-year path of statutory fee-schedule updates
(Pecquet, "Healthwatch," The Hill, 3/15). Specifically, the panel
recommended freezing current primary care payment levels, and reducing
payment levels for all other services by 5.9% annually for three years,
followed by a freeze.

 

The report included an October 2011 letter in which MedPAC offered various
ways to fund a SGR repeal, such as applying an excise tax to Medigap plans
and rebasing skilled-nursing facility payments.

 

Mark Miller, executive director at MedPAC, said he is unaware of any current
legislation that aligns with the group's recommendations to repeal the SGR
formula. He added, "But as long as the cost of the action is $300 billion,
they've got to figure out how they're going to finance it" (Modern
Healthcare, 3/15).

 

 

 

March 21, 2012

 

H.R. 5 Headed to a Vote -- Contact Your Representative Now!

 

AAEM <http://www.aaem.org/> 

 

 

This week, medical liability reform legislation -- H.R. 5 -- will reach the
floor of the House for a vote. Title I of H.R. 5, now known as the
Protecting Access to Healthcare Act, includes comprehensive medical
liability reforms that are critical to bringing down health care costs and
ensuring access to care for all patients.  AAEM needs your help to urge your
Representatives to support this critical bill.

 

The Congressional Budget Office has determined that the medical liability
reform provisions of H.R. 5 would cut federal healthcare spending by $34
billion over 10 years and reduce the deficit by $40 billion. It will
continue to provide full compensation to deserving patients, while putting
an end to medical lawsuit abuse and maintaining access to vital medical
services for all.

 

ACTION REQUIRED:

 

AAEM urges you to contact your Representative TODAY and ask him/her to
support medical liability reform by voting for H.R. 5 when it comes to the
floor this week.  Click here
http://www.capwiz.com/aaem/issues/alert/?alertid=61111531 to view a template
letter.

 

Your continued support of medical liability reform and your help this week
will ensure that the 112th Congress takes action on this critical issue.

 

PLEASE CIRCULATE WIDELY! 

________________________________________

Kathleen A. Ream

Director, Government Affairs

American Academy of Emergency Medicine

Email: aaemgov at aol.com

 

 

 

 

 

Brian Potts MD, MBA
Managing Editor, CAL/AAEM News Service



 

 

Contact us at: calaaem.news.service at gmail.com

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Copyright (C) 2012. The California Chapter of the American Academy of
Emergency Medicine (CAL/AAEM). All rights reserved.

CAL/AAEM, a nonprofit professional organization for emergency physicians,
operates the CAL/AAEM News Service solely as an educational resource for
physicians. Dissemination of an article by CAL/AAEM News Service does not
imply endorsement, agreement, or recommendation by CAL/AAEM News Service,
CAL/AAEM, or AAEM.

 

 

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