The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission voted unanimously Jan. 16 to recommend a 3.3 percent raise in Medicare payments for hospitals next year.
The commission said it wants to give hospitals a 2 percent boost overall and tie the other 1.3 percent to quality metrics to motivate hospitals to reduce mortality and improve patient satisfaction.
CMS has scheduled a 2.8 percent increase in 2021 Medicare payments.
MedPAC said it is recommending the payment boost to reduce the disparity in payments at different care sites and is part of a larger effort to introduce site-neutral payments.
Congress is not required to implement the recommendation.
HENRY KOTULA 