October 7, 2020 – Vizient, Inc. (Irving, TX) submitted comments to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on two key Medicare regulatory proposals – the Calendar Year (CY) 2021 Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) and the CY 2021 Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) and Quality Payment Program (QPP).
The two proposed rules include several policy changes that would impact Vizient members and their patients.
In its comments, Vizient encouraged CMS to consider adding the full array of services expanded during the public health emergency (PHE) to either a permanent list of allowable telehealth services (Category 1) or a new Category 3 list of services that would be covered temporarily. Vizient also expressed concern regarding the proposed budget-neutral implementation of certain policies related to evaluation & management (E/M) services which lead to a significant reduction to the conversion factor.
In Vizient’s comments on the OPPS proposed rule, the GPO raised serious concerns about CMS’s ongoing reductions in reimbursement for drugs purchased through the 340B Drug Pricing Program, emphasizing the proposed reductions will have a detrimental effect on hospitals’ abilities to maintain critical programs that serve vulnerable populations. Additionally, Vizient urged CMS to similarly withdraw proposals to eliminate the inpatient-only list noting concerns regarding provider burden and patient safety.