Medicare

The AMA is calling on Congress to prevent cuts to the Medicare physician payment system following the HHS’ and CMS’ finalization of the 2023 Physician Fee Schedule.

In the United States, COVID-19 vaccinations may have prevented more than 650,000 hospitalizations and 300,000 deaths among Medicare beneficiaries in 2021, according to a new report from HHS.

The National Kidney Foundation has relaunched its website, NKF Election Center, that provides patients and “kidney advocates” with key dates and deadlines for the November midterm elections, according to a press release.

It remains up in the air whether the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022 will live up to its name in terms of economic impact.

U.S. Reps. Ami Bera, MD, D-Cali., and Larry Bucshon, MD, R-Ind., have introduced legislation that would stop planned cuts in Medicare payments to physicians in 2023.

The 2012 Medicare change to cover sleeve gastrectomy, in addition to Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, for bariatric surgery boosted its selection exponentially, with significant regional and temporal variation between states.

The American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons has issued formal comments to CMS on the Medicare proposed payment policy changes for 2023, according to a press release.

Medicare administrative contractors are circumventing the normal policy process related to complex drug administration codes, leading to “inappropriately low reimbursement,” according to the American College of Rheumatology.

The Primary Care Collaborative has launched a campaign to help advance the field through payment reform and increased investment.

While praising CMS’ 2023 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule for offering more flexibility, the American College of Rheumatology has submitted comments of concern over proposed reimbursement cuts to critical rheumatology services.