What are the questions that healthcare leaders want Dr. Oz to be a CMS administrator?
The Senate confirmed celebrity TV doctor Dr. Mehmet Oz, who voted 53-45 last week as CMS administrator.
In this position, Oz will lead the Medicare and Medicaid programs. He played a role as the healthcare industry faced many changes. Republicans in Congress are currently proposing budget cuts for Medicaid, which could have a significant impact on the economy. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services also recently released about 10,000 layoffs, which could have a serious impact on public health.
But Oz avoided the question of whether he supports or opposes these Medicaid cuts.
After confirmation, several healthcare leaders shared their healthcare issues that they want OZ to be a CMS administrator:
Virtual Care
Telehealth advocacy group Connected Care Alliance has posted many suggestions for advancing digital health in a letter sent to Oz. Its recommendations include easing the burden associated with provider location reporting to ensure adequate reimbursement of remote patient monitoring technologies and improving the adequate requirement for virtual care in the health plan network network.
The letter also called on CMS and OZ to improve access to telehealth services across state lines, noting that many older people live in areas where in-person care is barely inaccessible.
“For these communities, greater access to telehealth may be transformative but hindered by barriers to accessing care by multinational corporations. Practice in remote rural areas and those with shortages of practitioners is crucial. … President Trump led the effort to make it hard to compete more effectively during his first term during his first term and in his first semester, and to compete for more effective efforts. In the letter, Connected Nursing.
Protect the advantages of medical insurance
Medicare Alliance, the advocacy group for Medicare Advantage, said Oz’s background as a physician and health advocate is aligned with the Medicare Advantage’s mission to deliver “high value, patient-centered care.” Oz has been a leading advocate for the Medicare Advantage program, which has attracted some scrutiny from Democratic lawmakers who question whether he can effectively regulate the MA program. The MA plan faces criticism for overpayment and improper use of prior authorization.
Meanwhile, the Better Medicare Alliance emphasizes the importance of protecting the program.
“Today, more than half of Medicare beneficiaries choose Medicare advantages for better health outcomes and better care,” Mary Beth Donahue, president and CEO of Better Medicare Alliance, said in a statement. “Dr. Oz is in charge at a critical moment as millions of Medicare Advantage beneficiaries face higher costs and reduced benefits after cutting the program for two consecutive years. It is crucial that Medicare Advantage gets enough funds to ensure older people continue to receive the care they need.”
Food as medicine
Vanessa Rissetto, CEO and co-founder of nutrition company Culina Health, expressed concern that Oz will “realize” his administration’s budget cuts to cut government programs, including Medicare, Medicaid, Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance plans.
She noted that Culina Health was able to expand access to nutritional care through partnerships with insurance companies and Medicare, which now accommodates 70% of the population. However, due to these budget cuts, health care services may be jeopardized.
“My hope is that with all the circulation discussions about health care policies, food is at the forefront of conversations that improve poor health in the country,” she told Medcity News. “If Dr. Oz can prioritize nutrition as a way to optimize health in Americans today, this could be a positive result of confirmation if Dr. Oz can prioritize nutrition as a way to optimize health in today’s Americans, especially for those most vulnerable and lacking healthy food and nutrition education.”
Photo: Gustavofrazao, Getty Images
