Trump Administration Pulls Back From Key Medicare Goals

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced a shift away from Obama-era Medicare goals that sought to significantly reduce the cost of the U.S. healthcare system, reports the Washington Post . The Obama administration had a specific timeline, including a goal of linking 30 percent of Medicare payments to quality-based payment models by the end of 2016, which it realized a year early. CMS' new focus is on reviewing "the impact of new payment models on patients and providers," says CMS spokesperson Raymond Thor. CMS Administrator Seema Verma has in recent months criticized certain Obama administration tactics while withdrawing from some of her predecessor's projects to pay healthcare providers quality-based compensation. "We are analyzing all innovation center models to determine what is working and should continue, and what isn't and shouldn't," Verma said in a Wall Street Journal op-ed piece last fall. CMS in November partially discontinued two programs changing reimbursements for joint replacement and cardiac rehabilitation procedures by using "bundled payments," in which providers get a flat payment covering the duration of a procedure and recovery. If their costs come in under the fee they can keep the difference, or they lose money if their costs top the fee. Community Catalyst Deputy Director Sue Sherry believes CMS must give clear guidance to doctors, hospitals, and other providers on the types of payments they should expect in the near future.