The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission yesterday reviewed draft recommendations to Congress requiring public disclosure of financial relationships between physicians and drug and device manufacturers, and physician ownership interests in hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers and other entities that bill the Medicare program.
Among other actions, the commission suggests that CMS issue a report on the prevalence of non-ownership relationships, such as leasing and compensation arrangements, between physicians and hospitals, ASCs and other entities. The report would draw from CMS' proposed Disclosure of Financial Relationships Report, which the agency plans to collect from a sample of 500 hospitals.
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The proposed DFRR has been pending clearance, on and off, by OMB amid criticisms from AHA and others about the burden associated with the detail required on employment and compensation arrangements.
Several issues remain for discussion at future MedPAC meetings, including how to handle information on free drug samples, and the appropriate scope and thresholds for reportable relationships.