Category: Medical Billing

cms-releases-no-surprises-act-state

CMS Releases No Surprises Act State Enforcement Letters

During a National Stakeholder Call on January 18, 2022, Ellen Montz—Deputy Administrator and Director of the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight (CCIIO) at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)—announced that CMS had begun publishing state-specific letters (the “Enforcement Letters”) detailing anticipated Federal and state responsibilities with respect to enforcement of the […]
telehealth-update-new-bill

Telehealth Update: New Bill Could Provide Much Needed Certainty to Providers and Patients

On Monday, February 7, 2022, U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nevada, and Todd Young, R-Indiana, introduced the Telehealth Extension and Evaluation Act, which if passed, would extend several of the telehealth waivers for two years after the end of the federal public health emergency (PHE).  See our previous coverage of telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic. […]
california-lawmakers-introduce-bill-mandate-vaccinations-workplaces

California lawmakers introduce bill to mandate vaccinations in workplaces

The bill comes in the wake of a U.S. Supreme Court decision blocking President Biden’s nationwide vaccine mandate for large employers. A group of California lawmakers, led by District 15 Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, have introduced a bill proposing that all businesses in the state mandate COVID-19 vaccinations for their employees. Assembly Bill 1993 would require […]
new-senate-bill-aims-to-extend-medicare-telehealth-waivers-by-2-years

New Senate Bill Aims to Extend Medicare Telehealth Waivers By 2 Years

The bill proposes extending Medicare reimbursement for a range of telehealth services, including substance abuse treatment, for two years after the public health emergency has ended. A new piece of bipartisan legislation has been introduced in the US Senate that aims to extend access to telehealth for Medicare beneficiaries after the COVID-19 pandemic has ended. […]
telehealth-ehr-use-increases-false-claims-act-violations-fraud

Telehealth, EHR Use Increases False Claims Act Violations, Fraud

As more providers leverage telehealth services and EHR systems, the federal government has seen increased False Claims Act violations and healthcare fraud. Healthcare digitization, including increased use of telehealth and EHR has led to a higher volume of healthcare fraud and False Claims Act (FCA) cases, according to lawyers from Hogan Lovells. The False Claims […]
covid-19-monoclonal-antibody-billing-update

COVID-19 Monoclonal Antibody Billing Update

  Ever since a public health emergency (PHE) for COVID-19 was declared on Jan. 27, 2020, there has been several new HCPCS Level II codes created for monoclonal antibody (mAb) products and administration. As confusing as all these new codes and billing requirements have been, nothing has caused as much trouble as the latest change […]
surprised-providers-seek-changes

Surprised Providers Seek Changes to Latest Provisions of the No Surprises Act

Effective January 1, 2022, new billing protections went into effect that have the goal of providing greater protections for patients against surprise medical bills. The Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, and Treasury, and the Office of Personnel Management (collectively, the Departments) implemented these additional protections that are part of the No Surprises Act […]
big-surprises-in-the-no-surprises-act

Big surprises in the No Surprises Act

  In one of the biggest attempts by the federal government to combat surprise medical billing, Congress in late 2020 passed the No Surprises Act (NSA), which imposes a host of new transparency and coverage requirements for employer-sponsored group health plans. Many of the most significant coverage changes were required to be implemented on Jan. […]
medical-organizations-continue-to-fight-surprise-billing-dispute-process-5-details

Medical organizations continue to fight surprise-billing dispute process: 5 details

A coalition of medical organizations, including the Physicians Advocacy Institute and 16 state medical associations, filed an amicus brief supporting a legal challenge to the No Surprises Act dispute resolution process, according to a news release emailed to Becker’s. Five things to know: The groups are supporting a lawsuit filed by the American Hospital Association […]