December 12-13, 2024

12/12/2024 . 10:30 am - 12:00 pm

Assessing payment adequacy and updating payments: Physician and other health professional services

Staff Contacts:

ISSUE: By law, each year the Commission reviews Medicare’s fee-for-service payment policies and makes payment update recommendations. For our March 2025 report to the Congress, we consider whether payments to physicians and other health professionals are adequate and how they should be updated in 2026.

KEY POINTS: We assess beneficiaries’ access to clinician care, quality of care, and the relationship between Medicare’s payments and clinicians’ costs.

ACTION: Commissioners will review and discuss the findings.

12/12/2024 . 1:15 pm - 2:40 pm

Assessing payment adequacy and updating payments: Hospital inpatient and outpatient services; and mandated report on rural emergency hospitals

Staff Contacts:

ISSUE: By law, each year the Commission reviews Medicare’s fee-for-service payment policies and makes payment update recommendations. For our March 2025 report to the Congress, we consider whether Medicare inpatient and outpatient payments to general acute care hospitals are adequate and how they should be updated in 2026. Beginning in March 2024, we also report annually on payments to rural emergency hospitals.

KEY POINTS: We examine beneficiaries’ access to hospital care, quality of care, hospitals’ access to capital, and the relationship between Medicare’s payments and hospitals’ costs.

ACTION: Commissioners will review and discuss the findings.

12/12/2024 . 2:45 pm - 3:55 pm

Assessing payment adequacy and updating payments: Skilled nursing facility services

Staff Contacts:

ISSUE: By law, each year the Commission reviews Medicare’s fee-for-service payment policies and makes payment update recommendations. For our March 2025 report to the Congress, we consider whether Medicare payments to skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) are adequate and how they should be updated in 2026.

KEY POINTS: We examine beneficiaries’ access to SNF care, quality of care, SNFs’ access to capital, and the relationship between Medicare’s payments and SNFs’ costs.

ACTION: Commissioners will review and discuss the findings.

12/12/2024 . 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Assessing payment adequacy and updating payments: Inpatient rehabilitation facility services

Staff Contacts:

ISSUE: By law, each year the Commission reviews Medicare’s fee-for-service payment policies and makes payment update recommendations. For our March 2025 report to the Congress, we consider whether payments to inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs) are adequate and how they should be updated in 2026.

KEY POINTS: We examine beneficiaries’ access to IRF care, quality of care, IRFs’ access to capital, and the relationship between Medicare’s payments and IRFs’ costs.

ACTION: Commissioners will review and discuss the findings.

12/13/2024 . 8:45 am - 9:45 am

Assessing payment adequacy and updating payments: Home health care services

Staff Contacts:

ISSUE: By law, each year the Commission reviews Medicare’s fee-for-service payment policies and makes payment update recommendations. For our March 2025 report to the Congress, we consider whether Medicare payments for home health care services are adequate and how they should be updated in 2026.

KEY POINTS: We examine beneficiaries’ access to home health care, quality of care, HHAs’ access to capital, and the relationship between Medicare’s payments and HHAs’ costs.

ACTION: Commissioners will review and discuss the findings.

12/13/2024 . 9:50 am - 10:50 am

Assessing payment adequacy and updating payments: Hospice services

Staff Contacts:

ISSUE: By law, each year the Commission reviews Medicare’s fee-for-service payment policies and makes payment update recommendations. For our March 2025 report to the Congress, we consider whether Medicare payments for hospice services are adequate and how they should be updated in 2026.

KEY POINTS: We examine beneficiaries’ access to hospice services, quality of care, providers’ access to capital, and the relationship between Medicare’s payments and providers’ costs.

ACTION: Commissioners will review and discuss the findings.

12/13/2024 . 10:55 am - 12:00 pm

Assessing payment adequacy and updating payments: Outpatient dialysis services

Staff Contacts:

ISSUE: By law, each year the Commission reviews Medicare’s fee-for-service payment policies and makes payment update recommendations. For our March 2025 report to the Congress, we consider whether Medicare payments for outpatient dialysis services are adequate and how they should be updated in 2026.

KEY POINTS: We examine beneficiaries’ access to outpatient dialysis services, quality of care, facilities’ access to capital, and the relationship between Medicare’s payments and facilities’ costs.

ACTION: Commissioners will review and discuss the findings.