News
CMS payment rate increases 2. 2% for dialysis facilities
3+ mon, 3+ day ago (282+ words) CMS issued its final rule for the End-Stage Renal Disease Prospective Payment System base rate for dialysis facilities to $281. 71 beginning Jan. 1, 2026, according to an agency press release. The final rate increased $7. 89 from the calendar year 2025 base rate of $273. 82. The rate…...
Racial/ethnic disparities persist in care process for PCI, hospital transfer
6+ mon, 2+ week ago (337+ words) Compared with white patients, Black patients were less likely to undergo PCI when presenting to a PCI-capable hospital, and both Black and Hispanic patients were less likely to be transferred to a PCI-capable hospital if initially presenting to one without…...
Patterns emerge in Medicare opt-out rates for orthopedic surgery
1+ mon, 2+ week ago (323+ words) NEW ORLEANS " Although formal opt-out rates from Medicare are low among orthopedic surgeons, a presenter here said patterns exist across subspecialty, region and practice type. Using the CMS Opt-Out Affidavit database, Hurley and colleagues identified 321 orthopedic surgeons who formally opted…...
CMS continues move to alternative payment models with launch of value-based care model
2+ mon, 1+ week ago (738+ words) On Jan. 1, CMS launched the latest value-based care model known as the Transforming Episode Accountability Model, or the TEAM model. Implemented from Jan. 1, 2026, to Dec. 31, 2030, the TEAM model will require selected acute care hospitals to coordinate care from surgery through…...
Most optometrists to get pay raise under 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule
4+ mon, 3+ week ago (270+ words) Next year's Medicare Physician Fee Schedule includes a 2. 5% increase in physician pay, promising a "slight" bump in earnings for most U. S. optometrists, according to a press release from the American Optometric Association. AOA said the pay increase resulted from "last-minute advocacy…...
Q&A: Medicare PFS will benefit primary care, but budget neutrality is "the bigger issue
4+ mon, 1+ week ago (402+ words) Several changes in the 2026 Medicare Physicians Fee Schedule, or PFS, will help to better support primary, preventive and comprehensive health care, according to several organizations. For example, the PFS introduces an efficiency adjustment that ACP said "will help account for…...
Bundled payment program reduced health care spending among physician groups, hospitals
7+ mon, 1+ week ago (392+ words) Results presented in JAMA Health Forum showed participation in the Bundled Payments for Care Improvement Advanced program reduced health care spending among both physician group practices and hospitals. "In addition to hospital success in bundled payments, which we have seen,…...
Medicare Advantage may offer lower transplant access odds vs. traditional Medicare
7+ mon, 4+ week ago (456+ words) Patients who start dialysis with Medicare Advantage have an 18% lower likelihood of being wait-listed for a kidney transplant than those on traditional Medicare, according to study findings on access disparities. Researchers wanted to "understand how enrollment in Medicare Advantage affects…...
Realities of Medicare, Medicaid force tough choices for private practices
9+ mon, 1+ week ago (192+ words) Orthopedic surgeons are vital to the health care system, helping patients regain mobility and improve their quality of life. As more practices adopt this approach, the burden shifts onto an already strained public health care system, where delays and fragmented…...
Economic analysis: Dialysis center duopoly keeps commercial insurance payments high
9+ mon, 1+ week ago (681+ words) From 2005 to 2019, two companies consolidated ownership in the dialysis center market and were the only option for nearly one-third of U. S. residents, according to results of an economic analysis. In addition, in service areas with one or more large chain, centers…...