The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, an independent advisory panel to Congress on Medicare physician payment issues, announced the appointment of three new members last week.
Gene Dodaro, head of the Government Accountability Office, who announced the appointments, said healthcare costs and quality continue to be important, and members were selected from among many qualified applicants for their experience and insights on these issues.
The newly appointed members, whose terms will expire in 2011, are Peter W. Butler, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Rush University Medical Center in Chicago; Michael Chernew, professor of healthcare policy at Harvard Medical School in Boston; and George N. Miller Jr., senior vice president of Catholic Health Partners and president and chief executive officer of Community Mercy Health Partners in Springfield, Ohio.
In addition, two current members have agreed to serve another three-year term, Dodaro said.
The reappointed members, whose terms will also expire in 2011, are Jennie Chin Hansen, member of the board of directors of the American Association of Retired Persons; and Nancy M. Kane, professor of management at the Harvard School of Public Health.
In March, MedPAC released its annual advisory report to Congress calling for "broad changes" to ensure Medicare's future and a 1.1 percent Medicare fee-for-service pay increase for next year.
The recommendation has sparked controversy. American Medical Association President-elect Nancy Nielsen, MD, said the rate increase is not enough. According to the AMA, 60 percent of physicians will likely limit new Medicare patients and more than half will reduce their medical office staff as a result of the new rate.
Other recent activities of the commission include a study on access to Medicare Part D drugs and a recommendation for implementing a Medicare hospital value-based purchasing program.
MedPAC meets regularly throughout the year and will meet again Sept. 4-5 in Washington, D.C.
Do you feel MedPAC hits the mark when it comes to Medicare payment advice to Congress? Contact Senior Editor Diana Manos at diana.manos@medtechpublishing.com.