Site-neutral payment has backing in healthcare policy circles, but its efficacy as a cost restraint is unclear
The concept of site-neutral payment continues to receive support from members of Congress and healthcare policy analysts, as demonstrated during a recent hearing. The Jan. 31 hearing of the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Health Subcommittee was intended, in part, to promote pending legislation that would strengthen price transparency and implement other policies designed to…
CMS’s 2025 advance rate notice for Medicare Advantage brings potential concern for providers
Medicare Advantage (MA) health plans are projected to reap a 3.7% revenue increase in 2025, but provider payments could be affected by a decrease in plan benchmarks, per data shared in CMS’s annual advance notice. If finalized, the estimated 0.16% average reduction in base payments to plans could have consequences for care delivery, one provider…
Hospitals say Supreme Court should hear a case that affects disproportionate share hospital payments
Hospital advocacy groups hope the Supreme Court will review a lower-court ruling that has adverse implications for Medicare disproportionate share hospital (DSH) payments. Six groups on Feb. 2 submitted an amicus brief to the Supreme Court regarding an appeals court’s 2023 decision backing HHS’s interpretation of the DSH payment formula. The department long has said…
Healthcare Blame Game: Patient Rights Advocate’s distortion of price transparency regulations and data, and the ad campaign that’s catching attention
Patient Rights Advocate (PRA) has engaged hip hop artists like Fat Joe, Busta Rhymes and Method Man in its “Power to the Patients” campaign, claiming that regulations around price transparency are not being enforced, allowing hospitals to hide their prices and “charge whatever they want.” On this episode, HFMA Policy Director Shawn Stack and Ruth Lande, vice president of hospital relations at RIP Medical Debt, discuss PRA’s misinterpretation of price transparency regulations and hospital pricing.
Continued 340B eligibility is at risk for hundreds of hospitals thanks to pandemic-related factors
Hospitals that rely on savings from the 340B Drug Pricing Program should examine the possibility that they’ll soon be rendered ineligible. Several factors are having an industrywide impact on the disproportionate share hospital (DSH) adjustment percentage, and if that tally drops below a certain threshold on a hospital’s Medicare cost report, the hospital cannot receive…
Most healthcare organizations will embrace two-sided value-based care models in 2024, but many do not have clearly defined protocols to assess new opportunities
Read this article for various lessons and questions to consider before entering a value-based care contract.
News Briefs: A new fee is set for using the No Surprises Act arbitration portal
Bringing out-of-network payment disputes to arbitration under the No Surprises Act in 2024 will be less expensive than previously proposed. In a final rule, the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor and Treasury established the administrative fee for using the independent dispute resolution (IDR) portal at $115 per case, effective Jan. 22. That’s…
Biden administration announces effort to make healthcare more competitive and transparent
Providers and insurers should be on the lookout for the Biden administration to hand down regulations and guidance intended to promote competition in healthcare. The White House in December released a fact sheet stating its position that a lack of competition affects healthcare prices and accessibility for consumers. Drug costs have been a target of…
Employer-sponsored healthcare coverage would benefit from better access to data, Congress is told
Employers can stimulate efforts to improve the value of healthcare, but they need help in the form of better access to claims data and prices, according to testimony at a recent congressional hearing. With those tools in hand, employers can more easily forge provider partnerships that lower costs and raise healthcare quality, health benefit administrators…
Why providers are struggling to succeed under value-based care
An obvious question that has often been overlooked in the rush to promote value-based care (VBC) is whether providers are equipped to navigate the transition from volume to value. Findings of a survey of providers and payers published in September suggest that there are reasons for concern.a Many providers report that capability gaps are negatively…