The AJMC® Medicare compendium is a comprehensive resource for clinical news and expert insights on issues that affect Medicare beneficiaries with a focus on polypharmacy, reimbursement challenges, and other topics related to seniors.
May 6th 2024
The Medicare trust fund is now expected to deplete in 2036, with the Inflation Reduction Act being credited for at least some of the extension.
February 14th 2024
What We’re Reading: 70% of US Vaccinated; CMS Payment Rules Released; Alcohol Consumption and Cancer
August 3rd 2021Seventy percent of Americans have received at least 1 dose of a COVID-19 vaccine; CMS releases payment rules for fiscal year 2022; alcohol linked to over 700,000 new cancer diagnoses in 2020.
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MA Primary Care Payment Models Influenced Telemedicine Usage During the Pandemic, Research Shows
July 16th 2021Larger primary care practices in downside risk–only payment models and capitation saw the highest telemedicine utilization rates by their patients enrolled in Medicare Advantage (MA) plans.
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Trends in Medicare Part D Coverage of Generics With Equivalent Brand-Name Drugs
High-tier generic drug placement in Medicare Part D has increased over time, but it may be related to a drug’s clinical profile and availability of substitutes rather than preferred brand-name drug coverage.
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How Biogen’s Aduhelm Approval Marks a Precipitous Turning Point for the FDA
July 14th 2021A string of controversies surrounding the approval of Biogen's Alzheimer disease drug aducanumab (Aduhelm) has not only called into question the independent nature of the FDA, but puts both providers and patients in a challenging position when it comes to deciding whether or not to prescribe or take the treatment.
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MedPAC to Congress: Change MA Benchmarks, Slow Down on APMs
June 18th 2021The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) suggested several changes to Medicare Advantage (MA) plan benchmark calculations, with the intent to generate yield savings for Medicare, and urged CMS to streamline alternative payment model (APMs) where it can.
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Softer Alignment of Medicare ACOs May Still Lead to Higher Prices for Office Visits
June 7th 2021The researchers created a model that simulated what would happen when health systems and providers began working together in Medicare accountable care organizations (ACOs) in arrangements that did not extend to outright mergers or acquisitions.
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Dr Davey Daniel on Lower Cost of Care Seen in Clinical Trials for OCM Enrollees
June 4th 2021Davey Daniel, MD, hematology/medical oncology specialist, Tennessee Oncology, discusses findings of an abstract presented at ASCO 2021 showing a lower total cost of care paid by Medicare for episodes of care for patients in the Oncology Care Model (OCM) enrolled in clinical trials vs those receiving routine care.
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Quality, Health, and Spending in Medicare Advantage and Traditional Medicare
May 6th 2021In a review of literature published since the Affordable Care Act’s passage, more than half of analyses find that Medicare Advantage outperforms traditional Medicare on quality, health, and cost outcomes.
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CMMI Remains Dedicated to Value-Based Care Despite Pause to Some Models, Fowler Says
April 20th 2021During her opening plenary at the NAACOS Spring 2021 Conference, Liz Fowler, PhD, JD, deputy administrator and director of the Center of Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, highlighted how the center is taking a pause to reassess its models and what is coming next.
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Post-SNF Outcomes and Cost Comparison: Medicare Advantage vs Traditional Medicare
Patients enrolled in Medicare Advantage had better outcomes and lower cost following skilled nursing facility (SNF) discharge than patients enrolled in traditional fee-for-service Medicare.
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