CMS NEWS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 13, 2017
Contact: CMS Media Relations
(202) 690-6145 | CMS
Media Inquiries
CMS Proposes 2018 Policy and Rate Changes for Hospital
Outpatient, Ambulatory Surgical Center Payment Systems
Proposed rule and Request for
Information promote improvements to quality, accessibility and
affordability of care
The Centers for Medicare
& Medicaid Services (CMS) today issued a proposed rule that updates
payment rates and policy changes in the Hospital Outpatient Prospective
Payment System (OPPS) and Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) Payment System. The proposed rule is one of several for 2018 that
reflect a broader strategy to relieve regulatory burdens for providers;
support the patient-doctor relationship in healthcare; and promote
transparency, flexibility and innovation in the delivery of care.
The OPPS and
ASC payment system are updated annually to include changes to
payment policies, payment rates, and quality provisions for those Medicare
patients who receive care at hospital outpatient departments or receive
care at surgical centers.
“CMS is committed to transforming the
Medicare program and updating our policies to provide high-quality and
affordable patient-centered care. These changes require innovative
strategies, and we look forward to receiving stakeholder comment and
incorporating new ideas in our final rule this fall,” said CMS
Administrator Seema Verma.
“Additionally, the proposed rule takes a
critical step towards fulfilling President Trump’s promise to lower the
cost of drugs, particularly for Medicare beneficiaries.”
Among the provisions in this rule, CMS is
proposing to change the payment rate for certain Medicare Part B drugs
purchased by hospitals through the 340B program. The proposed rule also
requests comment on how CMS can best implement the proposal to pass savings
on to beneficiaries and providers, and to allow seniors to save money on
their drug costs. The 340B Drug Pricing Program allows certain hospitals
and other healthcare providers to purchase drugs and biologicals (other
than vaccines) that are administered in a hospital outpatient department
from drug manufacturers at discounted prices.
The proposed rule also includes a
provision that would alleviate some of the burdens rural hospitals
experience in recruiting physicians by placing a two-year moratorium on the
direct supervision requirement currently in place at rural hospitals and
critical access hospitals.
In addition, CMS is releasing within the proposed rule a Request for
Information to welcome continued feedback on flexibilities and efficiencies
in the Medicare program. CMS is committed to maintaining flexibility and
efficiency throughout Medicare. Through transparency, flexibility, program
simplification, and innovation, we aim to improve the Medicare program and
promote the availability of high-value and efficiently-provided care for
its beneficiaries.
For a fact sheet on the proposed rule,
please visit: https://www.cms.gov/Newsroom/MediaReleaseDatabase/Fact-sheets/2017-Fact-Sheet-items/2017-07-13.html.
The proposed rule (CMS-1678-P) and the
Request for Information can be downloaded from the Federal Register at:
https://www.federalregister.gov/public-inspection.
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