Articles and Blogs

This Week in Washington joined the House on its August break but has provided a news update to address CMS finalizing its Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System final rule. On August 2, CMS finalized its Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System final rule for fiscal year (“FY”) 2019. The final rule updates Medicare payment policies... READ MORE

CMS Releases Proposed Outpatient Pay Rule On July 25, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) issued the Medicare hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (“OPPS”) and Ambulatory Surgical Center (“ASC”) proposed rule for Calendar Year 2019, which contains an annual payment rate increase of 1.25 percent. Most significantly, the proposed rule would expand the... READ MORE

Ways and Means Subcommittee Explores Modernizing Stark Law On July 17, the House Ways and Means Committee Subcommittee on Health held a hearing on modernizing the Stark Law. Government and industry witnesses shared concerns about the inhibiting effect of the Stark Law on innovative payment models and value-based care. Subcommittee Chairman Peter Roskam (R-IL)... READ MORE

CMS Releases 2019 Proposed Medicare’s Physician Fee Schedule  On July 12, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) announced numerous new policy proposals in a proposed rule to update payment policies, payment rates and quality provisions for services furnished under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (“PFS”) for 2019. The annual update reduces payments... READ MORE

Senate Seeks Solutions on Reducing Health Care Costs On June 27, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee held a hearing on how to reduce health care costs, which will examine administrative costs and waste, how to improve transparency, private sector solutions and other issues. Both Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Ranking Member... READ MORE

CMS Issues RFI for Stark Law On June 20, CMS released a request for information (“RFI”) seeking feedback on ways to improve the Stark Law, which limits how doctors can refer patients to businesses in which they have a financial interest. Largely seen as a barrier to value-based care arrangements, the agency is asking for information... READ MORE

Senate and House Work to Combat the Opioid Crisis On June 13, Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR), Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady (R-TX), Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Richard Neal (D-MA) introduced H.R. 6, the Substance Use-Disorder... READ MORE

More Changes Ahead for 340B The Human Resources and Services Administration (“HRSA”) released a final rule delaying the effective date of implementation and enforcement of the previously issued final rule implementing the 340B Drug Discount Program. The delayed rule, which was originally published on January 5, 2017, established the methodology for calculating the 340B... READ MORE

Senate, House Health Committees Examine GME Program On May 22, the Senate Health Education Labor and Pensions (“HELP”) Committee held a hearing on the graduate medical education (“GME”) program. Republican members raised concerns over the current GME program, alleging there are inequities in the distribution of residency slots and asking whether training should be... READ MORE

Senate HELP Committee Takes Another Look at 340B The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee held its second hearing on the 340B program. Representatives from two major government watchdogs, the Government Accountability Office and the HHS Office of the Inspector General, testified at the hearing. The testimony focused on oversight reports related to... READ MORE