Educated guesses and imprecise, stopgap efforts aren’t enough. Revenue cycles need precise strategies to identify exactly where leakage occurs and implement solid processes to stop leakage before it starts. Even before COVID-19, 250-bed hospitals lost $4.7–$11 million a year from mid–revenue cycle leakage. Now, pandemic-fueled volume losses and razor-thin margins mean that hospitals can no […]
HHS will designate $4.8B from the American Rescue Plan to COVID-19 testing reimbursement under the HRSA COVID-19 Uninsured Program. Under the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), HHS announced it will allocate $4.8 billion to COVID-19 testing reimbursement for the uninsured as part of the American Rescue Plan. There are currently approximately 29 million uninsured […]
Hospital financial performance improved in April, but margins are still thin as hospital revenue recovers from COVID-19, a report from Kaufman Hall shows. Hospital revenue, volumes, and margins increased in April 2021 both year-to-date and year-over-year, but have a long way to go in terms of COVID-19 recovery, according to a report by health care […]
The COVID-19 pandemic has blown the doors wide open on telehealth, especially with new reimbursement parity policies. But value-based contracts can support the growing interest in remote patient monitoring and other virtual care services beyond the pandemic, according to telehealth experts at the Revenue Cycle Management Summit. “Remote patient monitoring programs are growing,” Andrew […]
2022 Hospice proposed rule would help with addendum statement snags, but other problems remain. In the Hospice proposed rule, published in the April 14 Federal Register, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services outlines these changes to the election statement addendum that was implemented on Oct. 1, 2020. Three vs. Five Days In the […]
Many plans charge a daily copayment, starting the first day, compared to deductibles charged by traditional Medicare plans. Last fall, I reported on the rise of Medicare Advantage (MA) plans, most of which have added coverage for issues associated with the social determinants of health (SDoH). Of 62 million Medicare beneficiaries, over 24 million enrolled […]
Previously delayed from March 15th to May 15th, the final rule will now be codified on December 15th, giving CMS time to tackle issues raised by stakeholders. CMS announced that it will delay the effective date of a final rule updating the definition of “reasonable and necessary” and the guidelines surrounding the Medicare Coverage of […]
Prior authorization still presents challenges to physicians, three years after the AMA and other health organizations released a consensus statement urging reform. A recent survey from the American Medical Association (AMA) evaluated the challenges and roadblocks of prior authorization (PA) for physicians and patients three years after a coalition of industry groups led by […]
It’s critical that independent practices make sure that they are laying the groundwork to make telehealth a robust part of their care delivery and their bottom line. In a very real sense, telehealth has been responsible for enabling independent healthcare practices to stay in practice and continue to provide care to their communities during […]
HHS program reimburses healthcare providers and facilities for testing, treatment, and vaccine administration fees associated with insured patients. On May 3, 2021, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), announced the new COVID-19 Coverage Assistance Fund (CAF) program that covers costs of administering COVID-19 vaccines […]