CMS director details plan for future of Medicare program.
+ Regulatory
Jamie Barrand | Nov 24, 2015

CMS director details plan for future of Medicare program

Nearly a year ago, the Obama Administration announced that the future of the Medicare program would include shifting its payments "from volume to value." Since that time, officials at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have been working toward putting that plan into action.

"CMS is continually working to turn this vision into reality through annual rule-making and the CMS Innovation Center, building on bipartisan ideas, initiatives and legislation from both Congress and the states," Dr. Patrick Conway, CMS acting principal deputy administrator, said. "For example, we recently published the final 2016 Medicare provider payment rules. Woven into those very detailed payment rules and regulations are new examples of the administration’s commitment to quality, value and patient-centered care."

Efforts planned for next year include creating a Home Health Value-Based Purchasing model; replacing the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) update formula for physician services with one that supports patient and family-centered care; and paying for advanced care planning.

On Nov. 23, Conway posted a blog detailing these measures. It can be found at http://blog.cms.gov.

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