Senate Finance Committee Seeking Proposals on Medicare Chronic Care Policies – On May 22, 2015, the Senate Finance Committee announced the formation of a bipartisan working group created to explore potential solutions for improving outcomes of Medicare patients requiring chronic care.  To aid in these efforts, the Senate Finance Committee seeks input from stakeholders regarding chronic care policy reforms.  The deadline to respond is Monday, June 22, 2015.  For more information and to view the letter, click here.

Updated Medicare Data Available – On June 1, 2015, CMS announced that it is releasing the third annual update to the Medicare hospital inpatient and outpatient charge data.  The new data was produced from the Medicare Providers Analysis and Review (MedPAR) dataset for FY 2013.  To view the announcement, click here.

Proposed Trade Legislation Potentially Funded by Medicare Cuts – Proposed legislation concerning the Trade Adjustment Assistance Program would be funded in part by additional cuts to the Medicare program.  This proposed funding mechanism has faced opposition by the provider community as well as from certain Democrats and Republicans.  To view the text of the bill, click here. 

MedPAC Releases Overview of 340B Drug Pricing Program – The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) released a report to Congress regarding the 340B Drug Pricing Program.  The report provides an overview of the 340B program and outlines the concerns that have been raised regarding the program’s oversight.  To view the full report, click here.