Medicare Panel Mulls Recommending Doctor, Hospice Payment Freeze

Physicians and health professionals, ambulatory surgical centers, and hospice providers would see no increase in Medicare payments in 2023 under draft recommendations adopted Thursday by a congressional advisory panel.

Only acute care hospitals and dialysis facilities would see payment bumps under the preliminary recommendations of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission.

MedPAC provides lawmakers with analysis and policy advice on the taxpayer-funded Medicare program. Its recommendations are nonbinding, but Congress relies heavily on commissioners’ expertise when making funding decisions.

Each year, the commission advises Congress about how to update payment rates for health providers that treat Medicare beneficiaries. Final commission recommendations ...