Senate Budget Committee Chariman Kent Conrad, D-N.D., sent a letter to the Centers for Medicare and & Medicaid Services that stated his concerns with the current proposed payment system for the Medicare ESRD program.

As the sponsor of the bill that required CMS to create a bundled payment system, Conrad said he is concerned that the current PPS "could have major consequences for patients and providers."

Conrad suggestions the following:

•    Do not include oral drugs in the bundle
•    Provide a race case-mix adjuster
•    Implement the transitional payment period as Congress intended
•    Gather more data on the long-term implications of the PPS and  on changing reimbursement rates


Related article:

Patient groups ask Congress to reconsider certain bundle provisions