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Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences
Medicare Part B Premiums And Social Security Benefits, Sally Coberly
Medicare Part B Premiums And Social Security Benefits, Sally Coberly
National Health Policy Forum
This paper describes the annual determination of beneficiaries' premiums for voluntary Medicare Part B coverage and a provision known as "hold harmless." The hold-harmless provision prevents a beneficiary's Social Security payments from being reduced as a result of an increase in the Part B premium. Because there was no cost-of-living increase for Social Security benefits for 2016, the hold-harmless provision will be in effect. This paper discusses what happens to premiums in 2016 for beneficiaries who are not held harmless—new beneficiaries, beneficiaries who do not participate in Social Security, those who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid, and higher-income …
Meaningful Use Of Health Information Technology: Proving Its Worth?, Lisa Sprague
Meaningful Use Of Health Information Technology: Proving Its Worth?, Lisa Sprague
National Health Policy Forum
Health policymakers in recent years have looked to the implementation of health information technology (IT)—electronic health records and the like—as a means to improve quality, reduce costs, and achieve better health outcomes across populations. But implementing health IT in a meaningful way must go beyond purchasing medical records software. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) devised a set of measures and incentives for hospitals and eligible medical professionals within Medicare or Medicaid to mark successive stages of effective IT implementation. This issue brief discusses the history of meaningful use, the measures used to evaluate effectiveness, and the …
Medicare's Post-Acute Care Payment: An Updated Review Of The Issues And Policy Proposals, Sally Coberly
Medicare's Post-Acute Care Payment: An Updated Review Of The Issues And Policy Proposals, Sally Coberly
National Health Policy Forum
Medicare spending on post-acute care provided by home health agencies, skilled nursing facilities, inpatient rehabilitation facilities, and long-term care hospitals accounted for about 10 percent of total program outlays in 2013. The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission and others have noted several long-standing problems with the payment systems for post-acute care and have suggested refinements to Medicare's post-acute care payment systems that are intended to encourage the delivery of appropriate care in the right setting for a patient's condition. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 contained several provisions that affect the Medicare program's post-acute care payment systems, as …
Challenges Of Forecasting Physician Workforce Needs Amid Delivery System Transformation, Rob Cunningham
Challenges Of Forecasting Physician Workforce Needs Amid Delivery System Transformation, Rob Cunningham
National Health Policy Forum
As population growth and the aging of the overall population increase demand for health care, policymakers and analysts grapple with whether sufficient health care providers, particularly physicians, will be available to meet that demand. Some argue there are too few physicians already; others say our current supply-demand problems lie with efficiency. But suppose both are correct? Perhaps the real challenge is to understand how the provision of health care services is changing in response to market forces such as payment changes, patients' expectations, provider distributions, and technology innovations. This issue brief revisits what is known about evolving practice organizations, professional …
The Star Rating System And Medicare Advantage Plans, Lisa Sprague
The Star Rating System And Medicare Advantage Plans, Lisa Sprague
National Health Policy Forum
With nearly 30 percent of Medicare beneficiaries opting to enroll in Medicare Advantage (MA) plans instead of fee-for-service Medicare, it’s safe to say the MA program is quite popular. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) administers a Star Ratings program for MA plans, which offers measures of quality and service among the plans that are used not only to help beneficiaries choose plans but also to award additional payments to plans that meet high standards. These additional payments, in turn, are used by plans to provide additional benefits to beneficiaries or to reduce cost sharing—added features that are …
Annual Report 2014, Forum Staff
Annual Report 2014, Forum Staff
National Health Policy Forum
This annual report describes the activities of the Forum during the 2014 calendar year, and provides a snapshot of our audience and resources.
The Public Health Service, Jennifer Jenson
The Public Health Service, Jennifer Jenson
National Health Policy Forum
This document provides an overview of the Public Health Service (PHS) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, including a brief history and discussion of the agencies and offices that constitute the PHS today. Information on the mission, key programs, and budgets of PHS agencies and offices is also included.
Health Policy Essentials: Common Health Care Acronyms, National Health Policy Forum
Health Policy Essentials: Common Health Care Acronyms, National Health Policy Forum
National Health Policy Forum
No abstract provided.
Relative Value Units (Rvus), Sally Coberly
Relative Value Units (Rvus), Sally Coberly
National Health Policy Forum
This publication reviews Medicare's relative value units (RVUs), which are assigned to each physician service to represent the resources required to provide the service relative to all other physician services. Three types of resources are included: physician work, that is, the physician time and effort; practice expenses, such as clinical staff and equipment; and professional liability insurance. Each service's RVUs are multiplied by a common dollar conversion factor to determine the Medicare payment.