Skip to main content
Subscribe
  • Sign Up Free
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • Current News
    • Providers
    • Insurance
    • Government
    • Finance
    • Technology
    • Safety & Quality
    • Digital Health
    • Transformation
    • ESG
    • People
    • Regional News
    • Digital Edition (Web Version)
    • Patients
    • Operations
    • Care Delivery
    • Payment
    • Midwest
    • Northeast
    • South
    • West
  • Opinion
    • Bold Moves
    • Breaking Bias
    • Commentaries
    • Letters
    • Vital Signs Blog
    • From the Editor
  • Events & Awards
    • Awards
    • Conferences
    • Galas
    • Virtual Briefings
    • Webinars
    • Nominate/Eligibility
    • 100 Most Influential People
    • 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives
    • Best Places to Work in Healthcare
    • Excellence in Governance
    • Health Care Hall of Fame
    • Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards
    • Top 25 Emerging Leaders
    • Top Innovators
    • Diversity in Healthcare
      • - Luminaries
      • - Top 25 Diversity Leaders
      • - Leaders to Watch
    • Women in Healthcare
      • - Luminaries
      • - Top 25 Women Leaders
      • - Women to Watch
    • Digital Health Transformation Summit
    • ESG: The Implementation Imperative Summit
    • Leadership Symposium
    • Social Determinants of Health Symposium
    • Women Leaders in Healthcare Conference
    • Best Places to Work Awards Gala
    • Health Care Hall of Fame Gala
    • Top 25 Diversity Leaders Gala
    • Top 25 Women Leaders Gala
    • - Hospital of the Future
    • - Value Based Care
    • - Hospital at Home
    • - Workplace of the Future
    • - Digital Health
    • - Future of Staffing
    • - Hospital of the Future (Fall)
  • Multimedia
    • Podcast - Beyond the Byline
    • Sponsored Podcast - Healthcare Insider
    • Video Series - The Check Up
    • Sponsored Video Series - One on One
  • Data Center
    • Data Center Home
    • Hospital Financials
    • Staffing & Compensation
    • Quality & Safety
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Data Archive
    • Resource Guide: By the Numbers
    • Surveys
    • Data Points
  • Newsletters
  • MORE+
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Media Kit
    • Jobs
    • People on the Move
    • Reprints & Licensing
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. Policy
November 09, 2020 04:31 PM

6 healthcare moves Trump could make before he leaves office

Michael Brady
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Reprints Print
    Getty Images

    The Trump administration on Monday signed off Medicaid managed-care changes, but it could wrap up a few more loose ends before President-elect Joe Biden takes office in January. Here's a look at six of the top prospects.

    Medicare physician fee schedule

    The White House budget office is reviewing Medicare's physician fee schedule. It would permanently allow providers to use telehealth to carry out home visits for so-called evaluation and management services and some visits for people with cognitive impairments, and temporarily continue telehealth services for emergency department visits and other services. The Trump administration plans to simplify billing and coding requirements for office and outpatient visits, boost several bundled payments and expand providers' scopes of practice. It also wants to revise the Medicare Shared Savings Program for 2020 and change how CMS calculates rates under the physician fee schedule.

    Medicare payment rule for outpatient services

    The White House budget office is reviewing Medicare's payment rule for outpatient services. It could increase total payments to providers by $7.5 billion to nearly $84 billion and slash reimbursements for 340B-acquired drugs by more than 6%. It would phase out the inpatient-only list, allow ambulatory surgical centers to deliver more services and streamline the hospital star-rating system. CMS also plans to relax supervision requirements for outpatient therapeutic services and make it easier for physician-owned hospitals with high shares of Medicaid patients to expand their facilities. Therapists and long-term care providers roundly criticized CMS' proposal to cut reimbursement for therapy services by 9%.

    Self-referral and anti-kickback reforms

    Officials and providers argue that the Stark law, which was originally implemented in 1989 to prevent physicians from profiting off referrals to Medicare providers that they or a family member had a financial stake in, has deterred them from participating in payment models in which physicians and hospitals share the financial rewards for cost-effectively delivering higher-quality care. But the administration's plans to reform those rules took a back seat during the COVID-19 pandemic. The White House budget office has been reviewing them since July.

    HIPAA reform

    The Trump administration has been working on reforming patient privacy rules to help the healthcare system move to value-based care by encouraging providers to adopt better care-coordination and case-management practices. The updated regulations would also give patients more access to their HIPAA-protected health information. The White House budget office approved the proposed rule last week, but HHS hasn't made it public yet.

    Regulatory reform

    HHS recently proposed to sunset rules 10 years after the agency issues them if HHS doesn't assess and, if necessary, review a rule quickly. Comments are due Jan. 4. The department could try to finalize the rule before Biden takes office, as deregulation was a key focus for Trump and his political appointees.

    Tennessee's Medicaid block grant

    CMS could approve Tennessee's proposal for a Medicaid block grant. State officials unveiled the plan last fall, claiming Tennessee could provide its Medicaid-eligible population with quality healthcare coverage at lower cost if the CMS granted it more flexibility in providing low-income people with health insurance. But the proposal only allows the state to cover more people or add services. Experts are skeptical the plan gives Tennessee enough flexibility to create cost savings. CMS unveiled its block grant demonstration for states in January, but it doesn't have any takers now that Oklahoma voted to expand Medicaid, and the COVID-19 pandemic is pummeling state budgets. Block grants and other Medicaid reforms have been a high priority for CMS Administrator Seema Verma.

    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Send us a letter

    Have an opinion about this story? Click here to submit a Letter to the Editor, and we may publish it in print.

    Recommended for You
    pharmacy prescriptions
    CMS rule would mandate greater transparency on drug prices
    PHE ending
    The COVID-19 public health emergency is ending. Here’s what’s changing.
    Most Popular
    1
    More healthcare organizations at risk of credit default, Moody's says
    2
    Centene fills out senior executive team with new president, COO
    3
    SCAN, CareOregon plan to merge into the HealthRight Group
    4
    Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan unveils big push that lets physicians take on risk, reap rewards
    5
    Bright Health weighs reverse stock split as delisting looms
    Sponsored Content
    Modern Healthcare Alert: Sign up for this breaking news email to be kept in the loop as urgent healthcare business news unfolds.
    Get Newsletters

    Sign up for enewsletters and alerts to receive breaking news and in-depth coverage of healthcare events and trends, as they happen, right to your inbox.

    Subscribe Today
    MH Magazine Cover

    MH magazine offers content that sheds light on healthcare leaders’ complex choices and touch points—from strategy, governance, leadership development and finance to operations, clinical care, and marketing.

    Subscribe
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS

    Our Mission

    Modern Healthcare empowers industry leaders to succeed by providing unbiased reporting of the news, insights, analysis and data.

    Contact Us

    (877) 812-1581

    Email us

     

    Resources
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise with Us
    • Ad Choices Ad Choices
    • Sitemap
    Editorial Dept
    • Submission Guidelines
    • Code of Ethics
    • Awards
    • About Us
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Modern Healthcare
    Copyright © 1996-2023. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • Current News
      • Providers
      • Insurance
      • Government
      • Finance
      • Technology
      • Safety & Quality
      • Digital Health
      • Transformation
        • Patients
        • Operations
        • Care Delivery
        • Payment
      • ESG
      • People
      • Regional News
        • Midwest
        • Northeast
        • South
        • West
      • Digital Edition (Web Version)
    • Opinion
      • Bold Moves
      • Breaking Bias
      • Commentaries
      • Letters
      • Vital Signs Blog
      • From the Editor
    • Events & Awards
      • Awards
        • Nominate/Eligibility
        • 100 Most Influential People
        • 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives
        • Best Places to Work in Healthcare
        • Excellence in Governance
        • Health Care Hall of Fame
        • Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards
        • Top 25 Emerging Leaders
        • Top Innovators
        • Diversity in Healthcare
          • - Luminaries
          • - Top 25 Diversity Leaders
          • - Leaders to Watch
        • Women in Healthcare
          • - Luminaries
          • - Top 25 Women Leaders
          • - Women to Watch
      • Conferences
        • Digital Health Transformation Summit
        • ESG: The Implementation Imperative Summit
        • Leadership Symposium
        • Social Determinants of Health Symposium
        • Women Leaders in Healthcare Conference
      • Galas
        • Best Places to Work Awards Gala
        • Health Care Hall of Fame Gala
        • Top 25 Diversity Leaders Gala
        • Top 25 Women Leaders Gala
      • Virtual Briefings
        • - Hospital of the Future
        • - Value Based Care
        • - Hospital at Home
        • - Workplace of the Future
        • - Digital Health
        • - Future of Staffing
        • - Hospital of the Future (Fall)
      • Webinars
    • Multimedia
      • Podcast - Beyond the Byline
      • Sponsored Podcast - Healthcare Insider
      • Video Series - The Check Up
      • Sponsored Video Series - One on One
    • Data Center
      • Data Center Home
      • Hospital Financials
      • Staffing & Compensation
      • Quality & Safety
      • Mergers & Acquisitions
      • Data Archive
      • Resource Guide: By the Numbers
      • Surveys
      • Data Points
    • Newsletters
    • MORE+
      • Contact Us
      • Advertise
      • Media Kit
      • Jobs
      • People on the Move
      • Reprints & Licensing