DCMedical News: Thursday, March 15, 2018
DCMedical News
Washington, D.C.
Thursday, March 15, 2018
Past issues of DCMN (and linked source documents) can be accessed by clicking on “View this email in your browser.”
THE BIG STORY TODAY IN HEALTH CARE
Budget:
There are six congressional working days remaining before expiration of the Continuing Resolution on March 23. No resolution as yet on health policy issues, or on many issues in other fields. The budget document(s) may be filed as early as tomorrow (Friday) for House action. Tomorrow’s DCMN: a review of anticipated major health issues in the budget, including Medicare, GME, physician payment, hospitals, the works.
Budget and Health, Continued:
Why the Omnibus is backing up: Reconsideration of Medicare Part D drug costs may play a role in the next budget plan. In the last go-around, Congress moved nearly all of the financial responsibility for closing the donut hole a year early to the drug makers. By contrast, the Bipartisan Budget Act and the 2019 Budget would shrink insurer responsibility for drug plans to 5%, possibly limiting motivation to control drug costs.
DOCTORS, NURSES, HEALTH PROFESSIONALS
Ways and Means Health Subcommittee will hold a hearing March 21 on implementation of MACRA’s physician payment policies, notes below under “Events.”
HOSPITALS AND HEALTH CARE FACILITIES
Quality Measures: Every three years, CMS conducts and publishes an assessment of the quality and efficiency impact of the use of endorsed measures in a number of programs. This 2018 National Impact Assessment of CMS Quality Measures Report (2018 Impact Report) is the third such assessment, found here.
Behavioral health in long-term care: A study in Healthcare Financial Management indicates that 50% of people living in long-term care facilities have behavioral health diagnoses, and suggests telebehavioral health as a useful innovation to keep patients out of the hospital (article here).
HEALTH INSURANCE, MEDICARE, MEDICAID, COMMERCIAL
MA Growth:
A Commonwealth Fund study (here, slides here) on MA plans indicates that enrollment grew 2009-2014 and expenses were controlled. This notwithstanding a slowing of the federal extra reimbursement for MA plans, compared to fee-for-service or traditional Medicare. MA payments, on average, now approach parity with traditional Medicare. While spending per beneficiary in traditional Medicare rose 5.0% between 2009 and 2014 . . . payment to [MA] plans decreased by 0.7%.
Medicare spending trend:
A Vanderbilt group in Health Services Research (summary here, study here) reports on trends in Medicare spending 2007-2014. “Mean payment-adjusted Medicare per-beneficiary spending decreased by $180 between the 2007–2010 and 2011–2014 time periods. This decline was almost entirely attributable to lower spending levels for beneficiaries. . . . The decline was partially offset by the increasing prevalence of certain chronic diseases. Still, we are unable to attribute a large share of the decline in spending levels to observable beneficiary characteristics or chronic conditions.”
Early (in the Trump administration) changes in health insurance coverage, comparisons 2012-2017, in NEJM this week, here.
PHARMA
Public Citizen updates its log of pharmaceutical industry scandal and resulting criminal and civil penalties, 1991-2017, published yesterday, found here.
READING
The American Public Health Association announced that research papers, commentaries and analytic essays on public health and firearms published in their journal are now available free of charge, with no subscription required to access the research, data and findings. (At http://ajph.aphapublications.org/topic/gunviolence.)
EVENTS & MEETINGS
Your March Calendar:
March 15
10:00 a.m., Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee (HELP), hearing on the 340B drug discount program, 430 Dirksen S.O.B.
10:00 a.m., HHS Budget: Hearing with HHS Sec. Azar, House Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittee, 2362-C Rayburn.
March 16
11:00 a.m., AHRQ, National Advisory Council for Healthcare Research and Quality, by WebEx, information at https://www.ahrq.gov/news/events/nac/.
March 21
9:00 a.m., Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee begins two days of hearings (bills here) on “Combating the Opioid Crisis: Prevention and Public Health Solutions,” 2123 Rayburn H.O.B., continuing March 22 at 10:00 a.m.
2:00 p.m., House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee, hearing on the implementation of MACRA’s physician payment policies, 1100 Longworth H.O.B.
March 22
1:30 p.m., Competition and Consolidation, Webinar sponsored by Alliance for Health Policy, AHCJ, NIHCM, worth a listen (Tom Scully, Chapin White).
March 26
PTAC, Physician-Focused Payment Model Technical Advisory Committee, continuing March 27, information at www.regonline.com/PTACMeetingsRegistration or livestream at www.hhs.gov/live.
FOR REFERENCE
Members of the Senate (here) and Members of Senate Committees (here), Senate Calendar (here).
Members of the House with their House Committees (here), House Calendar (here).
PUBLICATION SCHEDULE FOR DCMEDICAL NEWS
DCMedical News is published every day that either the House of Representatives or the Senate is in session.
Past issues can be accessed by clicking on “View this email in your browser.” Subscription information is found at the bottom of these pages. Trial subscriptions may end without notice.
March publication dates remaining: 16, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23.
April publication dates: 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27.
Notes to: Fred Hyde, MD, JD, MBA; fredhyde@aol.com