The CMS policy in the 2018 OPPS proposed rule with potentially the largest administrative and financial burden for hospitals should not be finalized, according to the agency’s own advisory panel.
While the American Medical Association supports some of CMS’ proposals for year two of the Medicare Quality Payment Program, it is advising CMS to do more to simplify value-based payments.
Two bundled payment programs could be canceled before they begin, and the scope of a third will be significantly limited if a proposed rule released by CMS August 17 is finalized.
In a move that has been anticipated for a few years, CMS issued a proposal in the 2018 OPPS proposed rule to expand packaging policies to include low-level drug administration services.
CMS wants your thoughts on its 2018 OPPS proposed changes. In various places in the proposed rule, CMS specifically asks providers to comment on the proposals. You may submit comments to the agency until September 11, 2017.
CMS released the fiscal year (FY) 2018 IPPS final rule August 2, updating Medicare payment and polices for patients discharged from hospitals from October 1, 2017, to September 30, 2018.
CMS updated its website for the Quality Payment Program recently with new information clarifying which clinicians will have “special status” and may be exempt from submitting data this year.
Hospital providers will need to look beyond the OPPS proposed rule for policies regarding 2018 reimbursement, as the 2018 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule proposed rule includes a policy that could once again have significant payment impact on non-excepted, off-campus provider-based departments.
The 2018 OPPS proposed rule is one of the shortest, and latest, in recent memory being released July 13 at only 663 pages, but it contains major proposed policy changes for the 340B drug discount program, new modifiers, and expands packaging to drug administration for the first time.
The release of the Quality Payment Program proposed rule introduced virtual groups as a way to reduce burden on small practices and clinicians. While the MACRA legislation laid out the initial concept of virtual groups, this proposed rule revealed many more details about how virtual groups will function.
