DCMedical News: Wednesday, December 4, 2019
DCMedical News-DCMN
Washington, D.C.
Wednesday, December 4, 2019
DCMedical News is published every day both the House and the Senate are in session. Subscription information below.
THE BIG STORY IN HEALTH CARE
Seven (Regularly Scheduled) Legislative Days Remain in 2019
CQ reports that “House Democratic leaders are insisting that all 12 overdue spending bills for the current fiscal year must be finalized before any of them can reach the floor, according to sources familiar with strategy talks. The demand for some kind of grand bargain could complicate hopes for completion of at least a portion of fiscal 2020 appropriations before stopgap funding (PL 116-69) runs dry on Dec. 20 and Congress adjourns for the winter holidays.”
DOCTORS, NURSES AND OTHER HEALTH PROFESSIONALS
More Physician Payment Experiments
The next meeting and the 2020 meeting dates of the Physician-Focused Payment Model Technical Advisory Committee are announced (here). The December 7 – 8 meeting requires registration at http://www.cvent.com/d/gbq2tg.
HOSPITALS, NURSING HOMES AND OTHER HEALTH CARE FACILITIES
“Patient-Driven Payment Model” Drives Therapy Out of Nursing Homes
The October 1 changes in reimbursement for nursing homes (“The Patient-Drive Payment Model”) (New York Times coverage here) has posed this problem for the 70% of the 15,000 nursing homes that are for-profit: Do we maintain therapy minutes/hours (which may have been inflated when Medicare paid separately for therapy time), or do we preserve our profit margin? Health policy researcher David Grabowski, a member of MedPAC, said it was a “well-intended policy.”
MEDICARE, MEDICAID AND COMMERCIAL HEALTH INSURANCE
MedPAC Back in Town
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission returns for a two-day meeting this Thursday and Friday, to assess the adequacy of Medicare payment for services delivered to beneficiaries.
Beginning at 9:00 a.m. in the International Trade Center downtown, the group will discuss the payment adequacy for physicians and other health care services (9:00 to 10:15); ambulatory surgical centers (10:15 to 11:00); hospital inpatient and outpatient services, including a mandated report on post-acute transfer policies to hospices (11:00 to 12:15); and will take public comment for 15 minutes thereafter.
The afternoon program on Thursday will involve assessing payment adequacy for skilled nursing facilities (1:30 to 2:30 p.m.); for home health services (2:30 to 3:30 p.m.); and for inpatient rehabilitation facility services (from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.). Long-term care hospital services will be taken up from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., with, again, another 15-minute period for public comment.
Friday’s half-day session will include outpatient dialysis (8:30 to 9:30 a.m.); hospice services (9:30 to 10:30 a.m.); and the Medicare Advantage Program (status) from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., followed by public comment between 11:30 and 11:45 a.m.
A more detailed description of the agenda items can be found at http://www.medpac.gov/-public-meetings-/meeting-details/december-2019-public-meeting
Lest They Be Forgotten
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals is poised to rule on Texas v. Azar, which would overturn the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. State preparations are underway, including preparations to urge a Congressional solution if PPACA is overturned. An example (here) is from Governor Inslee to the Washington State Congressional Delegation, essentially noting the areas in which their state would suffer, should Congress not pass the legislation subsequent to any overturn.
DRUGS AND DEVICES
5.7 Million Previously Hidden Device Safety Reports
Kaiser Health News reports (here) that “For almost 20 years, malfunctions and injuries linked to 108 medical devices, including dental implants and pacemaker leads, were funneled into an FDA database that few patients, doctors or even FDA officials knew existed. In 2016, for example, Covidien reported 84 injuries or malfunctions in the public database known as MAUDE, while nearly 10,000 incidents flowed into the hidden database.”
READINGS AND REFERENCES
Trump Says “No Thanks” to NHS-Pharma Deal
The Financial Times reports (here) that 500 NHS doctors and nurses wrote to the visiting American President, ““We are alarmed to read about documents revealed on Tuesday that showed the US government have been in secret talks with our government about the opening up of British markets after Brexit and what this could mean for the future of our National Health Service . . . We are particularly concerned about the conversations over patents for pharmaceutical products and the potential for huge drug price increases for the NHS and the rest of the world.” Said the President, “If you handed [the NHS] to us on a silver platter, we wouldn’t want it. We want nothing to do with it.” Said the US trade representative in February about U.S. negotiating priorities, we “seek standards to ensure that government regulatory reimbursement regimes are transparent, provide procedural fairness, are non-discriminatory, and provide full market access for US products.”
U.S. House of Representatives:
Members at https://www.house.gov/representatives
Committees and Members at https://www.house.gov/committees
U. S. Senate:
Members at https://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.
Committees and Members at https://www.senate.gov/committees
House and Senate 2019 Calendar of Regularly Scheduled Sessions, here.
PUBLICATION SCHEDULE FOR DCMEDICAL NEWS
December 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12
Notes to: Fred Hyde, MD, JD, MBA; fredhyde@aol.com.