Monthly Archives: November 2017

Today's Top Story CBO: Tax proposal could force cut to Medicare funding The U.S. Congressional Budget Office (CBO) states that a tax reform proposal currently under consideration in the U.S. Congress could result in a mandatory cut of up to $25 billion in Medicare funding during 2018. The Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010 (PAYGO) requires that new congressional legislation not collectively increase estimated deficits. If a net increase in the deficit occurs, the U.S. Office of Management and [...]

  Today's Top Story President nominates Alex Azar as next HHS secretary President Donald J. Trump named Alex M. Azar to be the next secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Mr. Azar formerly served as deputy secretary of HHS under President George W. Bush and spent 5 years as president of Lilly USA, LLC—an affiliate of drug manufacturer Eli Lilly and Company. Mr. Azar must undergo confirmation by the U.S. Senate before taking [...]

  Today's Top Story Report suggests that 29 percent of healthcare payments were tied to APMs in 2016 A report from the not-for-profit organization Health Care Payment Learning & Action Network (LAN) finds that 29 percent of total U.S. healthcare payments were tied to alternative payment models (APMs) in 2016, compared to 23 percent in 2015. The organization reviewed data from four sources: the LAN, America’s Health Insurance Plans, the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, and the U.S. [...]

Today's Top Story Study: Physicians who seek to reduce work hours or leave practice cite burnout and dissatisfaction as leading factors Findings from a survey published in the November issue of the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings suggest that many U.S. physicians intend to reduce their clinical work hours, and about one in 50 intend to leave medicine to pursue a different career. The research team surveyed 6,880 physicians during 2014 regarding the likelihood of reducing clinical hours in [...]

Today's Top Story Senate bill would offer greater flexibility under MIPS Healthcare IT News reports that a bill under consideration in the U.S. Senate seeks to increase flexibility in the U.S Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services meaningful use program. If enacted, the EHR Regulatory Relief Act would create a 90-day period for the determination of whether a participant in the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) is a meaningful user of electronic health records (EHRs) and would eliminate [...]

Today's Top Story CMS releases three rules affecting physicians The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released three rules that may affect physician reimbursement in 2018. The first rule proposes updates to payment policies, payment rates, and quality provisions for services furnished under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule on or after Jan. 1, 2018. Among other things, it includes a 0.41 percent increase in Medicare reimbursement, based on a 0.50 percent update established under the [...]