At its meetings last week, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission discussed several proposals that would reduce Medicare payments to hospital outpatient departments and put them on par with physician offices and other ambulatory clinics, according to an AHA News Now report.
MedPAC advisers introduced three main proposals, according to the report:
• The "site-neutral" policy — in which HOPDs and ambulatory care settings receive similar Medicare payments — would expand to 66 additional ambulatory payment classifications, which would reduce hospital Medicare payments by $900 million.
• HOPDs and physician offices would receive the same payment for three high-volume cardiac imaging ambulatory payment classifications, which would reduce hospital Medicare payments by $500 million.
• HOPDs and ambulatory surgery centers would receive equal pay for 12 surgical ambulatory payment classifications, reducing hospital Medicare payments by $590 million.
MedPAC advisers introduced three main proposals, according to the report:
• The "site-neutral" policy — in which HOPDs and ambulatory care settings receive similar Medicare payments — would expand to 66 additional ambulatory payment classifications, which would reduce hospital Medicare payments by $900 million.
• HOPDs and physician offices would receive the same payment for three high-volume cardiac imaging ambulatory payment classifications, which would reduce hospital Medicare payments by $500 million.
• HOPDs and ambulatory surgery centers would receive equal pay for 12 surgical ambulatory payment classifications, reducing hospital Medicare payments by $590 million.
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