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CMS Blog https://blog.cms.gov/2018/03/02/medicare-access-and-chip-reauthorization-act-of-2015-macra-funding-opportunity March 2, 2018 By Kate Goodrich, MD Director, CMS Center for Clinical Standards and Quality & CMS Chief Medical Officer   Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) Funding Opportunity:Measure Development for the Quality Payment Program CMS is pleased to announce a new funding opportunity for the development, improvement, updating, and expansion of quality measures for use in the Quality Payment Program. CMS will be partnering directly with clinicians, patients, and other stakeholders to provide up to $30 million of funding and technical assistance in development of quality measures over three years. Cooperative agreements provide a unique opportunity for CMS to partner with... Read more »

By: Kate Goodrich, M.D., M.H.S., Director, Center for Clinical Standards & Quality, CMS Chief Medical Officer Medicare and other payers are rapidly moving toward a healthcare system that rewards high quality care while spending more wisely. Foundational to the success of these efforts is having quality measures that are meaningful to patients, consumers, and providers alike.  CMS recently announced the “Meaningful Measures” initiative to identify the most impactful areas for quality measurement and improvement and reflect core issues that are most vital to high quality care and better individual outcomes. Each year, CMS publishes a list of quality and cost measures... Read more »

By Kate Goodrich, MD Director, CMS Center for Clinical Standards and Quality & CMS Chief Medical Officer CMS is actively working to move the needle on improving quality in healthcare without additional burden to those providers on the frontlines. CMS recently launched a new initiative, ‘Meaningful Measures,’ which will streamline current measure sets – so providers can focus on the measures that are most impactful – and will move from process measures to outcome measures where possible. A great deal of attention has also been focused on alignment of quality measures within CMS and with commercial payers, and we are committed to... Read more »

November 16, 2017 By: Seema Verma, CMS Administrator @SeemaCMS  Today, CMS is celebrating National Rural Health Day by commemorating our partners who provide quality care to the nearly one in five Americans who reside in rural communities. CMS recognizes the unique challenges facing rural America, and we are taking action to improve access and quality for healthcare providers serving rural patients. This fall, I have been visiting communities throughout the country to learn more about issues critical to improving access to rural healthcare. I travelled to Kansas City and visited the headquarters of the National Rural Health Association to talk with key leadership... Read more »

 CMS Blog https://blog.cms.gov/2017/11/15/cmss-2017-medicare-fee-for-service-improper-payment-rate-is-below-10-percent November 15, 2017 By Kimberly Brandt, Principal Deputy Administrator for Operations (@cms.hhs.gov) The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is committed to reducing improper payments in all of its programs, as evidenced by improper payment reduction efforts contained in the Fiscal Year 2018 President’s Budget. CMS’s new leadership is re-examining existing corrective actions and exploring new and innovative approaches to reducing improper payments, while minimizing burden for its partners. Due to the successes of actions we’ve put into place to reduce improper payments, the Medicare Fee-For-Service (FFS) improper payment rate decreased from 11.0 percent in 2016 to 9.5 percent in... Read more »

CMS BLOG https://blog.cms.gov/2017/11/11/thank-you-for-your-service November 9, 2017 By:  Seema Verma, CMS Administrator Thank You for Your Service We’ve all heard the stories of bravery and sacrifice, or have personally experienced the inspiring dedication to service of our US Military veterans, but for me their heroism was made real on a visit to Normandy. Early in the morning on D-Day, June 6, 1944, Army Rangers climbed the cliffs of Point-du-Hoc to the west of Omaha Beach to destroy a battery of 155mm German cannons on top of the cliff. As I stood there, viewing these cliffs as a tourist, I couldn’t help but imagine the fear that must’ve... Read more »

By Seema Verma, Administrator, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Each October, as the days grow shorter, time seems to speed up. Maybe it’s because we start planning for the looming holidays or begin bracing for the cold winter, but before we know it we’re saying goodbye to one year and ringing in a new one. That’s why it’s important to set aside some time between now and early December to think about your 2018 healthcare needs by shopping for high-quality Medicare health and drug plans during Open Enrollment. Medicare Open Enrollment kicked off on October 15 and will run through... Read more »

Por: Seema Verma, Administradora de los CMS Como podría haber escuchado ya, o quizás ya vio un comercial de televisión, los Centros de Servicios de Medicare y Medicaid pronto emitirán a cada beneficiario de Medicare una nueva Tarjeta de Medicare, sin números de Seguro Social, para prevenir el fraude, mantener seguros los fondos de los contribuyentes, y para asegurar que siempre ponemos las necesidades de los pacientes primero. Desafortunadamente los criminales están cada vez más interesados en las personas de 65 años o más para el robo de identidad médica, incluso cuando alguien usa ilegalmente el número de Medicare de otra persona.... Read more »

By:  Seema Verma, CMS Administrator As you may have heard, or perhaps you’ve seen a recent TV commercial, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will soon be issuing every Medicare beneficiary a new Medicare Card, without Social Security Numbers, to prevent fraud, fight identity theft, and keep taxpayer dollars safe, and to help ensure that we always put the needs of patients first. It’s unfortunate that criminals are increasingly targeting people age 65 or older for medical identity theft, including when someone illegally uses another person’s Medicare number. An identity thief may bill Medicare for expensive services that were never provided... Read more »

By Seema Verma, Administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services As a wife and mother, my family’s health is always foremost on my mind. That is why a recent personal experience will forever shape the impact I want to have while serving as Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Earlier this month, while at an airport with our two children, my husband collapsed and went into cardiac arrest. He’s home now and his prognosis is excellent. However, if it weren’t for the courageous bystanders who administered CPR and the dedicated medical professionals at the Hospital of the... Read more »