Bush Administration Adds to the Push For Medicare Streamlining
by Stephen Barlas
| Geriatric Times |
 |
March/April 2002 |
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Vol. III |
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Issue 2 |
A new federal advisory committee will be making recommendations on how to
make life easier for physicians when dealing with Medicare. The Bush
administration's creation of the 27-member Secretary's Advisory Committee on
Regulatory Reform, which met for the first time on Jan. 7, comes on the heels
of the passage of a bill by the U.S. House to rein in Medicare audits of
physicians.
Addressing the first meeting at Providence Hospital in Washington, D.C.,
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Tommy G. Thompson
said, "We are going to work to find places where we can make it easier to
provide health care while still maintaining high standards." The committee will
be holding meetings around the country, but dates and locations have yet to be
announced.
Thompson set a deadline of this fall for the panel to conclude its work but
urged members not to wait to forward ideas as they come along. "I don't want to
wait nine months to get anything done. Let's start making changes immediately,"
Thompson added. The committee is chaired by Douglas L. Wood, M.D., a practicing
cardiologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.
Congress is already halfway home to making some significant changes in the
way Medicare deals with physicians. The House overwhelmingly passed the
Medicare Regulatory and Contracting Reform Act on Dec. 4, 2001, by a vote of
408 to 0. But despite the bipartisan support, the Senate was unable to follow
suit prior to Congress adjourning for 2001.
The Senate version of the bill was introduced by Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.)
and Frank Murkowski (R-Alaska) and is less comprehensive than the House
bill.
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3/02