Panel examines 'site-neutral' payment policies

Hospitals provide many more services than other care sites, and the resources needed to maintain that capacity cannot be ignored, said Michael Sack, former president and CEO of Hallmark Health System in Massachusetts, at a panel today in Washington, D.C., examining so-called “site-neutral” payment policies in the ambulatory and post-acute care settings. “Site neutrality is a myth,” he said. “Providing the best care to patients must be the focus.” Sponsored by the National Health Policy Forum, the panel also featured Medicare Payment Advisory Commission Executive Director Mark Miller; HighMark Inc. Chief Medical Officer Donald Fischer, M.D.; and Gerben DeJong, a senior fellow for health policy and post-acute care at MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital and a professor of rehabilitation medicine at Georgetown University School of Medicine. MedPAC has made multiple recommendations related to implementing site-neutral payment policies for ambulatory and post-acute care settings.