We expect that these and other refinements will result in the selection of quality contract suppliers offering a choice of products to beneficiaries at a substantial savings," said Jonathan Blum, director of the CMS Center for Medicare Management.
The CMS proposed an exception under the physician payment rules for 2009, but opposition--mainly from medical device manufacturers--killed it, said Lisa Ohrin, acting director of the division of technical payment policy at the CMS's Center for Medicare Management.
According to Thomas Gustafson, Director, Purchasing Policy Group, Center for Medicare Management the new test will be crosswalked to a current established test if the new test "waddles and quacks" like the established test.
In addition to the name change, HCFA also announced three new, separate centers of service: * The Center for Beneficiary Choices will key in on the Medicare+Choice program and provide information to beneficiaries; * The Center for Medicare Management will deal with the traditional fee-for-service program; * The Center for Medicaid and State Operations will center around programs administered by the states, including Medicaid, State Children's Health Insurance Plan (SCHIP), and insurance regulations.
To achieve these goals, CMS has announced that it will: * launch a $35 million national media campaign to better inform seniors and other Medicare beneficiaries of their health care options; * enhance 1-800-MEDICARE to a 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week service that will provide more detailed information to help beneficiaries make Medicare decisions; * create a "culture of responsiveness" at CMS in serving beneficiaries, health care providers, states, and lawmakers; * reform the contractor process to improve the quality and efficiency of the Medicare claims-processing services; * restructure the agency around, three new business entities: the Center for Medicare Management, the Center for Beneficiary Choices, and the Center for Medicaid and State Operations.
CMS will conduct business through three subcenters: the Center for Medicare Management, which will deal with the traditional fee-for-service Medicare program; the Center for Beneficiary Choices, focusing on providing beneficiaries with information on Medicare, Medicare Select, Medicare+Choice, and Medigap options; the Center for Medicaid and State Operations, which will handle state-administered programs, including Medicaid, SCHIP, insurance regulation functions, survey and certification, and the Clinical Laboratory Improvements Act.
