How Should Congress Pay for Repealing the Sustainable Growth Rate?
Guest post from Harold D. Miller President and CEO, Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform Pittsburgh, PA A bipartisan, bicameral bill was announced earlier this month as the result of a joint effort by the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee, House Ways and Means Committee, and Senate Finance Committee to repeal and replace […]
Congress Makes Significant Progress on Physician Payment Reform
On Feb. 6, 2014, the Senate Finance, House Energy and Commerce and House Ways and Means Committees released bipartisan legislation to repeal Medicare’s sustainable growth rate (SGR) physician payment system. The “SGR Repeal and Medicare Payment Modernization Act ” (S. 2000/H.R. 4015), establishes a new streamlined value-based incentive payment system called the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System, or […]
All I Wanted for Christmas!
Guest Post from Deborah L. Benzil, MD, FACS, FAANS Member, AANS Board of Directors Chair, AANS/CNS Communications and Public Relations Committee Mt Kisco, New York At this time of year, we are often inundated with saccharin comments about holiday giving. This year, I have decided I will request a simple gift that honors the real […]
Draft Framework for Repealing the SGR: The Cure May be Worse than the Disease
On Halloween, the Senate Finance and House Ways and Means Committees released a bipartisan, bicameral draft proposal to repeal and replace Medicare’s sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula. The proposal would permanently repeal the SGR update mechanism, reform the fee-for-service payment system through greater focus on value over volume, and encourage participation in alternative payment models. […]
Efforts to Repeal the SGR Continue
Over the past few months there has been a lot of activity on the SGR front, and the AANS and CNS have been at the forefront of discussions on the best way to fix Medicare’s flawed sustainable growth rate (SGR) payment formula. Neurosurgery is urging Congress to incorporate the following elements in any SGR replacement […]
House Committee Unveils Framework to Replace the SGR
Last week, the talk of the town (amongst healthcare stakeholders) was about the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s draft legislative proposal for repealing Medicare’s sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula. While this skeleton discussion draft bill is very preliminary, it provides a legislative outline for replacing the current Medicare payment system with an “improved fee for […]