Medicare

Reductions to the 2024 Medicare conversion factor will mean unsustainable payment cuts for family physicians, according to the president of the American Academy of Family Physicians.

SAN DIEGO — Compared with Medicaid and private insurance, Medicare has lagged significantly in adopting infliximab biosimilars despite the multiple options now available, according to data presented at ACR Convergence 2023.

CMS has released a final rule for the prospective payment system that increases the Medicare bundled payment rate for dialysis treatments by 2.1% in 2024, up from a 1.6% increase proposed in June.

Data show CMS’ Million Hearts CVD Risk Reduction Model, which provided payments for CVD risk assessment and reduction, reduced incidence of first-time MIs and strokes over 5 years without significant changes in Medicare spending.

The manufacturers of the initial 10 drugs chosen for Medicare’s price negotiations have agreed to participate, the White House announced.

A recent study showed a “considerable prevalence” of dental problems among nursing home residents enrolled in Medicare — as well as disparities between certain groups of patients.

Medicare will begin offering coverage for PrismRA, a molecular diagnostic test that predicts treatment response in certain patients with rheumatoid arthritis, according to a press release from its manufacturer.

The American College of Rheumatology has called on CMS to extend current telehealth flexibilities — initiated at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic — through 2024, according to a press release.

Congress must hear this message: Ongoing cuts in the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule for office-based providers will continue to impact access to care for patients on dialysis across the United States.

Fewer than 40% of adults with diabetes received the clinically recommended testing for chronic kidney disease in 2017, according to a recently published study from the National Kidney Foundation and National Committee for Quality Assurance.