Chronic Care Bill Introduced in the Senate
- December 15, 2016
- Uncategorized
Last week, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-UT), along with Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR), Johnny Isakson (R-GA), Mark Warner (D-VA), and Michael Bennet (D-CO) introduced the Creating High-Quality Results and Outcomes Necessary to Improve Chronic (CHRONIC) Care Act of 2016 (S.3504).
The bill aims to improve healthcare outcomes for Medicare patients living with chronic conditions by modernizing Medicare payment policies, streamlining, and coordinating care. The bill also includes several provisions to enable the use of telehealth services under Medicare as well as in accountable care organizations.
The CHRONIC Care Act is the product of the bipartisan Chronic Care Working Group (CCWG) set up in May 2015 to explore cost-effective solutions to addressing chronic diseases. In October of this year, the working group produced a discussion draft that served as the basis for this bill.
Of the policy recommendations put forward by the bipartisan working group, two were included in the 21st Century Cures Act; a provision allowing individuals with end-stage renal disease to enroll in Medicare Advantage if they quality for Medicare; and a provision altering the Medicare Advantage Risk Adjustment Model to more accurately account for individuals with more than one chronic condition.
An additional four recommendations from the CCGW were adopted by regulatory agencies. These include an expansion of the Diabetes Prevention Program model, a rule to enhance payment for additional care management services for chronic care patients, a rule to promote integrated behavioral healthcare, and a new Medicare payment code to discuss issues associated with a serious or life-threatening illness.
To read a full summary of the CHRONIC Care Act of 2016, CLICK HERE.
