U.S. Medicare sets new hospital, doctor payments for 2015

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Medicare program's payment rate for hospital outpatient services will increase 2.3 percent in calendar year 2015, while the rate for ambulatory surgical services will rise 1.4 percent, the federal government announced on Friday.

The Medicare health insurance program for the elderly and disabled will also begin to pay doctors a monthly fee to coordinate care for patients with multiple chronic conditions in 2015, a government statement said.

The separate monthly payment of $40.39 is aimed at improving care, including outside of regular office visits, for patients suffering from two or more chronic illnesses, said the statement from the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the federal agency that oversees Medicare.