To Pay For Medicare SGR Repeal, Build On Bipartisan Health Care Policy

Something unexpected is happening in Washington. As most eyes track partisan battles over immigration and the Affordable Care Act, key Congressional committees have been quietly advancing truly bipartisan legislation to strengthen Medicare.

Since 2002, an outdated Medicare cost control called the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) has repeatedly threatened drastic Medicare provider cuts. After a decade of temporary fixes, SGR repeal appears within reach. A bipartisan, bicameral agreement by key Congressional leaders announced on February 6, 2014 goes a step further by pairing repeal with bipartisan reforms that pay physicians for the quality and value of care they deliver, not the number of tests and procedures they order. 

Source: Health Affairs

Senators Put Medication Adherence Front and Center at Q + A

U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse joined a panel discussion and Q&A on medication adherence, urging the public to take the issue seriously as a threat to public health.

The Senators and other esteemed panelists explored the critical nature of medication adherence, both from the standpoint of public health as well as for individual patients. The event brought together leading thinkers and state officials as well as patient advocates, providers and pharmacy experts.

Source: GoLocalProv