Research Projects: Development and Implementation of the Medicare Competitive Bidding Demonstration Project

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Purpose of Project:

Initial purpose was to identify items and services covered by Medicare Part B and assess the feasibility of subjecting each to competitive bidding, recommend to CMS which items and services are most appropriate for a competitive bidding demonstration, and develop the approach to the demonstration and implement in one or more sites.

When CMS decided to delay plans for implementing the competitive bidding demonstration, the project shifted focus to an analysis of a charge-based relative value scale for laboratory services.

Project Duration: September 1998 to September 2001

Participating Personnel:

Principal Investigator and Contact Person: Sara Karon

Sponsoring Agency:

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)

Reports:

• http://www.cms.hhs.gov/healthplans/research/2002LabAnalysRpt.pdf