What is the function of the Medicare Volume Performance Standard (MVPS)?

The Medicare Volume Performance Standard (MVPS) serves the essential purpose of monitoring and controlling Medicare expenditure rates. This standard is part of the broader effort to ensure sustainable growth in Medicare spending while also striving to maintain or improve quality in healthcare delivery. By analyzing data on the costs and volume of services provided, the MVPS helps to identify trends and set benchmarks for expenditure levels, which can inform policies aimed at curbing unnecessary spending.

This approach ensures that Medicare funds are utilized efficiently, thus allowing for better resource allocation and potentially protecting the program's financial viability for future beneficiaries. It focuses on not just tracking how much is being spent, but also on how to align spending with appropriate healthcare quality outcomes, ensuring that payment structures and incentives encourage effective patient care rather than an increase in service volume without corresponding benefits to patient health.