Vizient Offers Approaches to Improve Health Equity to CMS in IPPS Comments

IRVING, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Vizient, Inc. today submitted its comments to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on their FY 2022 Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) proposed rule. Vizient’s comments include feedback to the agency regarding future health equity policies, concerns with CMS’s proposed changes to organ acquisition payment policies, and recommendations on various topics, including the distribution of new Graduate Medical Education (GME) positions.

In its comments on health equity measures, while Vizient supported CMS in exploring ways to report outcomes, Vizient encouraged the agency to prioritize efforts to improve data collection and accuracy. Vizient also offered various recommendations to the agency regarding how best to analyze and interpret data related to health equity.

“Ensuring the complete and accurate collection of data is a critical first step toward having actionable, patient-centered outcome measures to guide decision making to help ensure greater health equity in our country. It is particularly important in areas of race, ethnicity, language, sexual orientation, and gender identity where these insights have been challenging,” said Beth Godsey, senior vice president, Data Science and Methodology for Vizient.

One concern expressed by Vizient was the agency’s proposed organ acquisition payment policy, particularly given the short implementation period and potential harm to patients. Vizient encouraged CMS to consider withdrawing this proposal.

Lastly, Vizient noted its appreciation for CMS’s efforts to adapt to the pandemic and implement various provisions of COVID-19 relief legislation but offered recommendations for the agency’s consideration. For example, Vizient offered recommendations regarding the proposed COVID-19 related modifications for hospital quality programs and suggested improvements to agency’s proposed distribution plans for 1,000 new Medicare-supported GME positions. View letter here: https://www.vizientinc.com/-/media/documents/sitecorepublishingdocuments/public/aboutus/20210628_fy22_ipps_comments_vizient.pdf.

Vizient is the nation’s largest member-driven health care performance improvement company, providing innovative supply chain capabilities, data-driven solutions and expertise that lead to improved patient outcomes and lower costs.

About Vizient, Inc.

Vizient, Inc. provides solutions and services that improve the delivery of high-value care by aligning cost, quality and market performance for more than 50% of the nation’s acute care providers, which includes 97% of the nation’s academic medical centers, and more than 20% of ambulatory care providers. Vizient provides expertise, analytics and advisory services, as well as a contract portfolio that represents more than $110 billion in annual purchasing volume, to improve patient outcomes and lower costs. In 2021, Vizient acquired Intalere, which expanded its footprint with ambulatory and rural acute care providers. Vizient has earned a World’s Most Ethical Company designation from the Ethisphere Institute every year since its inception. Headquartered in Irving, Texas, Vizient has offices throughout the United States. Learn more at www.vizientinc.com.