Medicare Agency Can Start Over, Appeal Its Loss on Payment Cuts

It could be back to the drawing board for the Trump administration on plans to adjust reimbursement payments for off-campus, hospital clinics that treat Medicare patients.

A federal judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia said Sept. 17 that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services exceeded its statutory authority when it cut payment rates at the start of the year. But attorneys say the agency can start over if it chooses—as long as the cuts are budget neutral this time around.

The policy carried some big savings that are now at stake if the ...