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CMS finalizes improvements to primary care policies
The 2017 Physician Fee Schedule final rule issued by CMS acknowledges the importance of primary care by offering new policies to improve payment for chronic care management, behavioral and mental health and diabetes prevention, according to a press release by CMS.
The final rule is a part of a broader administration-wide strategy to enhance the current health care system for better care and spending. The new policies will improve Medicare payments for primary care providers and other practitioners for services to care for patients with cognitive impairments, multiple chronic conditions and mental and behavioral issues, and payments to physicians who deliver more patient-centered care by investing more time and resources. These improvements will also enhance the structure of Medicare’s priorities and recognize clinicians for quality care through the Quality Payment Program.
“These policies will give significant support to the practice of primary care and boost the time a physician can spend with his or her patients listening, advising and coordinating their care,” Andy Slavitt, CMS Acting Administrator, said in the release. “By better valuing primary care, behavioral health, and prevention models like the Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program expanded model, we help beneficiaries access the services they need to stay well and live long, healthy lives.”
The rule finalized the Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program which, starting Jan. 1, 2018, will expand the Diabetes Prevention Program model test to eligible Medicare beneficiaries. This prevention model is the first to be adopted by the CMS that will reach all eligible beneficiaries. The expansion will allow CDC-recognized suppliers to prepare to enroll in Medicare, as well as submit claims to furnish services.
“Through the Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program expanded model, eligible beneficiaries will be able to access a community-based intervention that prevents diabetes and keeps people healthy,” Patrick Conway, MD, MSc, acting principal deputy administrator and chief medical officer of CMS, said in the release. “Preventing the onset of diabetes through proven measures not only keeps people living healthier lives, but also helps to preserve Medicare. This is an exciting milestone for prevention and population health.”
Payment policies, payment rates and quality provisions for services such as visits, surgical procedures, diagnostic tests, therapy services and specified preventive services will be updated in the year 2017 through the final rule. Nurse practitioners, physician assistants and physical therapists and entities including radiation therapy centers and independent diagnostic testing facilities will be paid under the updated Physician Fee Schedule along with primary care providers.
The AMA and the American College of Physicians (ACP) were quick to praise the 2017 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule final rule by the CMS.
“This annual policy fine-tuning is an opportunity for CMS to improve treatment options for patients and streamline bureaucratic demands on physicians,” Andrew W. Gurman, MD, president of the AMA, said in a press release. “By expanding coverage of the Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program and revising data collection efforts, CMS is ensuring that patients and physicians will benefit from better care and more rational directives.”
“The policies in the rule more accurately recognize the work of primary care physicians and other cognitive specialties to accommodate the changing needs of Medicare beneficiaries,” Nitin S. Damle, MD, MS, MACP, president of the ACP, said in a press release. “ACP applauds CMS for being responsive to the numerous policy recommendations from the ACP that we submitted on the initial proposed rule.”
For more information:
https://www.ama-assn.org/ama-applauds-cms-final-rule-physicians-payment-fee-schedule