IRVING, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Vizient, the largest member-driven health care performance improvement company in the country and its subsidiary Provista, a leading supply chain partner for non-acute health care delivery organizations, urge CMS to reconsider its approach to the Medicare home infusion therapy benefit to recognize the full array of services needed for home infusion therapy services.
Yesterday afternoon CMS finalized a very narrow interpretation of the new Medicare home infusion benefit in the Home Health Prospective Payment System final rule for 2019. The final rule will limit reimbursement for home infusion services to only “the day on which home infusion therapy services are furnished by skilled professionals in the individual’s home.” Under this approach, Medicare fails to adequately reimburse for professional services, such as pharmacy and patient management services, needed for home infusion therapy. Unfortunately, this decision will likely limit patient access to high-quality, low-cost, home infusion services.
While Vizient and Provista appreciate that CMS will continue monitoring the situation and accepting additional feedback, it is clear that the approach adopted in the final Home Health payment rule is not sufficient and changes are needed to support beneficiary access to home infusion therapy services.
About Vizient, Inc.
Vizient, Inc., the largest member-driven health care performance improvement company in the country, provides innovative data-driven solutions, expertise and collaborative opportunities that lead to improved patient outcomes and lower costs. Vizient’s diverse membership base includes academic medical centers, pediatric facilities, community hospitals, integrated health delivery networks and non-acute health care providers and represents approximately $100 billion in annual purchasing volume. The Vizient brand identity represents the integration of VHA Inc., University HealthSystem Consortium and Novation, which combined in 2015, as well as MedAssets’ Spend and Clinical Resource Management (SCM) segment, including Sg2, which was acquired in 2016. In 2018, Vizient again received a World’s Most Ethical Company designation from the Ethisphere Institute. Vizient’s headquarters are in Irving, Texas, with locations in Chicago and other cities across the United States. Please visit www.vizientinc.com as well as our newsroom, blog, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube pages for more information about the company.
