The proposed reductions in Medicare reimbursement for cardiac, orthopedic, and other devices used in inpatient procedures, announced last Wednesday, were more severe than hospitals and device-makers expected, reports The Boston Globe. If the proposed cutbacks are approved, hospitals’ reimbursement for some stent procedures would be 33% less, and reimbursement for implantable defibrillators would be 24% lower. The newspaper said that hospitals will lobby medical manufacturers to cut their prices to try to offset the reimbursement hit. CMS maintains that higher reimbursement for certain surgical procedures causes hospitals, especially specialty hospitals, to offer high-priced procedures at the expense of less lucrative services.
