CMS Rule Boosts Support for Primary Care, Mental Health, Diabetes Prevention

Dive Brief:

• Diabetes prevention is set for a major push for the sake of both public health and reducing healthcare costs to protect the Medicare Trust Fund under the new 2017 Physician Fee Schedule final rule, CMS Acting Administrator Andy Slavitt highlighted in a CMS Blog post Wednesday.
• Additional changes around Medicare payments for primary care, care coordination, and mental healthcare are expected to make an additional $140 million in funding available to providers in 2017.
• The rule further finalizes coding and payment changes for care using the Psychiatric Collaborative Care Model that champions a coordinated approach shown to both reduce costs and improve behavioral health outcomes.