Congress Commissions Study To Revamp Medicare Compensation 

Thursday, October 22, 2009 at 11:23AM
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By Justin Duckham-Talk Radio News Service

Over a dozen House Democrats from the Quality Care Coalition announced Thursday that they will be pursuing a solution to what has been described as regional inequality in Medicare compensation.

“McAllen, Texas ... has a reimbursement rate of about $15,000 per patient per year,” said Rep. Norm Dicks (D-Wa.). “In Tacoma, Washington it’s $7,100 per Medicare patient.

“This is wrong. It was done on a political basis and it was sustained for forty years,” Dicks added.

To combat this, Congress will commission a 16 month study with the Institute of Medicine to find a way to reimburse medical professionals based on the outcome of care rather than the volume of the treatment.

The provision mandating the study will be included in the final House health care reform bill. According to the QCC, the inclusions will be budget neutral.

Article originally appeared on Talk Radio News Service: News, Politics, Media (http://www.talkradionews.com/).