MedPAC Recommends Fixes for Several Medicare Issues

In its annual report released Friday, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission outlined several problems with the program -- including overall spending growth and a wide variance in outpatient therapy spending nationwide -- and offered fixes for some of them. The report also recommended bundling payments as a way to reduce Medicare rate variances for four post-acute care settings.

• "Medicare Panel Urges Cuts to Hospital Payments for Services Doctors Offer for Less" (Pear, New York Times, 6/14).
• "MedPAC Sees Hefty Savings in 'Site-Neutral' Payment Policy" (Daly, Modern Healthcare, 6/14).
• "Panel to Congress: Medicare Penalties Too Harsh on Hospitals Serving the Poor" (Rau, Kaiser Health News/Washington Post, 6/14).