Proposed CMS rule would cut payments to specialists, hospitals

A new proposed Medicare rule would cut payments to both hospitals and certain specialists while hiking reimbursements for primary care providers, according to an analysis by Avalere. Under the rule, reimbursements would drop for physician-administered drugs costing more than $480 per day in 2016. This would particularly affect specialties that use costlier drugs, many with no cheaper alternatives, such as oncologists, rheumatologists and ophthalmologists. Of the 10 drugs most affected by the payment cuts, seven are used to treat cancer. The remaining three are used for ophthalmologic and immunologic conditions. More than one million people were treated with one of the 10 in 2014, according to Avalere. Analysis