At meetings this week, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission discussed a wide range of quality-related topics, including measures for long-stay nursing facility residents, behavioral health care and the Medicare program, and reforming quality measurement implications for premium support. Commissioners also examined six proposals MedPAC staff believe have the potential to slow the rate of growth of pharmaceutical spending by Medicare. These options seek to increase price competition, address Part B drug price growth and improve the current payment formula and data. Commissioners also received a status report on Medicare Accountable Care Organizations. The commission will meet again in November.

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The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Food and Drug Administration April 23 announced a new pathway to expedite access to certain FDA-…
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The AHA April 23 released a blog responding to a report issued April 22 by Paragon Health Institute. The blog highlights how the report relies on a long list…
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In think‑tank reports, like the one released this week by Paragon Health Institute, hospitals are often reduced to abstractions — payment rates, charts,…
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The Senate April 23 adopted a budget resolution by a 50-48 vote, paving the way for a narrow reconciliation bill focused on immigration enforcement funding.…
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Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testified in additional Senate hearings April 22 on the fiscal year 2027 HHS budget proposal,…
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The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced in a memo April 21that it is delaying implementation of the Medicare Part D portion of the Better…