The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission has hammered out draft recommendations asking Congress to boost 2024 Medicare payment rates for hospitals and clinicians by at least 1% over what the law prescribes, and likely higher for safety-net facilities.
Axios:
MedPAC Wants Pay Boost For Docs And Hospitals
MedPAC wants Congress to increase hospitals and clinicians’ 2024 Medicare payment rates. If Congress opts not to follow the recommendations, CMS has to make payment updates according to current law — setting up another year of providers running to lawmakers for relief from Medicare cuts after the fact. (Goldman, 12/12)
In other news about Medicare and Medicaid —
KHN:
KHN Investigation: The System Feds Rely On To Stop Repeat Health Fraud Is Broken
The federal system meant to stop health care business owners and executives from repeatedly bilking government health programs fails to do so, a KHN investigation has found. That means people are once again tapping into Medicaid, Medicare, and other taxpayer-funded federal health programs after being legally banned because of fraudulent or illegal behavior. In large part that’s because the government relies on those who are banned to self-report their infractions or criminal histories on federal and state applications when they move into new jobs or launch companies that access federal health care dollars. (Tribble and Weber, 12/12)
KHN:
Journalists Explain Medicaid Work Requirements And Hospital Price Transparency
KHN senior editor Andy Miller discussed Georgia’s Medicaid work requirements on WUGA’s “The Georgia Health Report” on Dec. 5. … KHN senior correspondent Julie Appleby discussed hospital price transparency on Newsy on Dec. 1. (12/10)
In other health care industry news —
The Washington Post:
Emory Hospital Has Disciplined Nurses Who Posted TikTok ‘Icks’ Video
In a TikTok video last week, four employees wearing nurse scrubs at an Atlanta hospital revealed their “icks” regarding labor and delivery patients. “My ick is when you come in for your induction,” a nurse began the video, “talking about, ‘Can I take a shower and eat?’” “My ick is when you ask me how much the baby weighs,” another nurse followed, “and it’s still … in your hands.” … In a statement posted online Thursday, after the video received much online backlash, Emory Healthcare wrote that it had “taken appropriate action with the former employees responsible for the video.” (Melnick, 12/12)
The Baltimore Sun:
University Of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical Center Opens New Intensive Care Unit Wing
University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical Center opened a new wing of its critical care unit Tuesday. The renovation, which will include 22 new intensive care beds, will allow the Glen Burnie hospital to potentially more than double its capacity if it can hire additional workers to staff the unit, hospital officials said. (Munro, 12/12)
The Boston Globe:
‘Deplorable Condition’ In Unit At R.I. State-Run Hospital, Advocacy Group Finds
A patient advocacy organization in late November found part of an Eleanor Slater Hospital building in “deplorable condition,” according to a report the organization sent to the state-run hospital’s leadership Tuesday. (Amaral, 12/9)
The Wall Street Journal:
GE Healthcare Plans To Reduce Debt And Costs, Pursue Tuck-In Acquisitions
General Electric Co.’s healthcare division plans to cut debt, bring down costs and pursue tuck-in acquisitions after its spinoff in early January, finance chief Helmut Zodl said Thursday at an investor event in New York. (Trentmann, 12/8)
Modern Healthcare:
Bright Health, Clover Health CEOs Led Insurance Compensation In 2021
CEOs at some of the nation’s largest insurance companies raked in tens of millions of dollars apiece last year, with insurtech leaders easily topping the list in terms of total compensation, according to data AIS Health published this month. (Hudson, 12/9)
Also —
WFSU:
Filling Out Medical Forms Can Be Difficult. A Tallahassee Startup Has An App To Help.
A Tallahassee startup wants to make visits to the doctor a little easier. WellConnector is an app that replaces the paperwork patients have to fill out before visits with new doctors. (McCarthy, 12/9)
Stat:
How Dentistry’s Diversity Problem Is Bad For Health Equity
Dentistry has a diversity problem, and medical and dental experts say the best way to fix it is to start the pipeline early in Black and brown communities. (Castillo, 12/9)
Stat:
Revenge Of The Gaslit Patients: Now They’re Ehlers-Danlos Scientists
Type “Ehlers-Danlos syndromes” into a search engine, and multiple suggestions pop up. Is Ehlers-Danlos an autoimmune disease? Is EDS hereditary? Rare? Then, the algorithm might suggest: Is Ehlers-Danlos syndrome a disease? “Is EDS real?” The latter is a question that really annoyed Cortney Gensemer, a postdoctoral researcher who studies and has EDS. (Cueto, 12/12)
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