CMS Releases 2015 Impact Assessment of Quality Measures Report – On March 2, 2015, CMS released the 2015 National Impact Assessment of Quality Measures Report, which assesses the effectiveness and impact of quality measures used by CMS.  The Report, which is mandated by the Affordable Care Act, found that CMS is making progress in improving the healthcare delivery system, as evidenced by the results of research on 25 CMS quality programs and nearly 700 hundred quality measures.  The Report is available here.

CMS Releases Results From Value-Based Payment Modifier Program for Physicians – On February 27, 2015, CMS released results from the first year of the value-based payment modifier program, based on physicians’ 2013 quality performance.  Nearly 7,000 physicians practicing in 14 group practices, each with at least 100 eligible professionals, will see an increase in Medicare payments, and 11 groups will experience a decrease in their 2015 payments.  The Report is available here, and a CMS blog post summarizing the results is available here.

Congressional Hearing on 340B Program Postponed – The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Health had planned a hearing on March 5, 2015, to review the functionality of the 340B Drug Pricing Program to understand how it impacts patients, providers, manufacturers, and other stakeholders.  The hearing, entitled “Examining the 340B Drug Pricing Program,” was postponed due to inclement weather last week in the D.C. area.  Information about the scheduled hearing, including a link to the Subcommittee’s background memo, is available by clicking here.