Last week, the Senate unanimously passed a bill that reforms the way Medicare supports the care and treatment of beneficiaries with chronic illnesses. Titled the “Creating High-Quality Results and Outcomes Necessary to Improve Chronic (CHRONIC) Care Act of 2017,” the bill includes reforms affecting traditional fee-for-service, Medicare Advantage, and Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs).
Passed with bipartisan support on the same day that Senate Republicans abandoned the latest bill to repeal and replace “the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the CHRONIC Care Act would expand some of the less controversial programs under the ACA. The bill includes programs aimed at improving how Medicare pays for patients with chronic conditions while lowering longer-term Medicare costs.
Key provisions would expand telehealth payments and Innovation Center programs such as ACOs, while implementing various regulatory reforms. The bill first passed the Senate Finance Committee in May following bipartisan hearings. Despite strong support, the House currently has no plans to vote on the bill. (See here for more details.)
Regardless of whether the House passes this or a similar bill, this move by the Senate indicates support for the use of telemedicine in the Medicare program and loosening ACO regulations as a means of promoting patient engagement and population health management.