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Advising the Congress on Medicare issues
MedPAC > Recommendations

Commission Recommendations

MedPAC makes recommendations to the Congress and to the Secretary of Health and Human Services on issues affecting the administration of the Medicare program. With its recommendations, the Commission strives to improve the delivery of care, while ensuring financial stability and maximizing value for the program. After extensive analysis and evaluation, our recommendations are discussed and voted on by Commissioners in our public meetings. Recommendations are typically published in two main reports, released in March and June of each year.

Recommendations Topic(s) Date

Using market competition in fee-for-service Medicare (A)

The Congress should give the Secretary demonstration authority to initiate competitive pricing demonstrations
  • Beneficiaries and coverage

June 2003

Using market competition in fee-for-service Medicare (B)

For demonstrations that prove successful, the Secretary should have the authority to implement competitive pricing. The Congress should have a fixed period of time to review and approve any implementation plan.
  • Beneficiaries and coverage

June 2003

Ambulatory surgical center services (1)

The Secretary should expedite collection of recent ASC charge and cost data for the purpose of analyzing and revising the ASC payment system
  • Ambulatory care settings

February 2003

Ambulatory surgical center services (2)

The Congress should eliminate the update to payment rates for ASC services for fiscal year 2004.
  • Ambulatory care settings

February 2003

Ambulatory surgical center services (3)

Until the Secretary implements a revised ASC payment system, the Congress should ensure that payment rates for ASC procedures do not exceed hospital outpatient PPS rates for those procedures, after accounting for differences in the bundle of services covered.
  • Ambulatory care settings

February 2003

Home health services (1)

The Secretary should continue a series of nationally representative studies on access to home health services (similar to studies previously conducted by the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General)
  • Post-acute care

February 2003

Home health services (2)

The Congress should extend for one year add-on payments at 5 percent for home health services provided to Medicare beneficiaries who live in rural areas.
  • Post-acute care

February 2003

Home health services (3)

The Congress should eliminate the update to payment rates for home health services for fiscal year 2004.
  • Post-acute care

February 2003

Hospital inpatient and outpatient services (1)

The Secretary should add 13 DRGs to the post-acute transfer policy in fiscal year 2004 and then evaluate the effects on hospitals and beneficiaries before proposing further expansions.
  • Hospital
  • Post-acute care

February 2003

Hospital inpatient and outpatient services (2)

The Congress should enact a low-volume adjustment to the rates used in the inpatient PPS. This adjustment should apply only to hospitals that are more than 15 miles from another facility offering acute inpatient care.
  • Hospital

February 2003