MedPAC’s Recommendations to CMS Stir Controversy; Premier and NAACOS Take Opposite Stances

The recommendations this week of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), the independent congressional agency established to advise the U.S. Congress on issues affecting the Medicare program, to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), around the COVID-19 pandemic, have created a range of responses, even as MedPAC’s leaders have asked CMS to significantly modify its incentives around the COVID-19 situation.

A letter written to CMS Administrator Seema Verma on Monday, April 13, was sent under the signature of Francis J. Crosson, M.D., MedPAC’s Chairman. Dr. Crosson began the letter by writing that “The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) recognizes the unique and difficult circumstances in which CMS currently operates, and we are cognizant of CMS’s competing priorities during this time. MedPAC appreciates the steps CMS has taken to date to mitigate the financial impact of COVID-19 on accountable care organizations (ACOs). ACOs should focus on their response to COVID-19 without concern for shared ACO savings or losses.