CMS released its Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) proposed rule for Calendar Year (CY) 2019, which contains several policies related to site-neutral payments—paying the same amount for a service regardless of the setting. The rule notes that the OPPS “has been the fastest growing sector of Medicare payments” and seeks comments on how to curtail this growth. Site-neutral payments and other methods, such as prior-authorization and volume caps, are referenced as options. This indicates that more changes are coming that could limit the growth of outpatient services…

Also in Policy Brief:

• Key Takeaways from the IPPS Final Rule
• Congress’ Post Recess Agenda
• Ten Months Later: The Impact of the Opioid Response
• Trump Sued for Undermining the ACA
• 340B Update
• A Look at The Federal Register