Each year the American Hospital Association (AHA) releases an advocacy agenda focusing on key areas in need of “critical support” for hospitals and health systems, and this year, quite a few key areas will be focused on your revenue cycle. “Hospitals and health systems are dealing with unprecedented challenges as they manage the aftershocks and […]
The American Hospital Association (AHA) and Better Medicare Alliance (BMA) both support the agency’s effort to improve Medicare Advantage (MA). In an attempt to reform MA, CMS released a proposed rule that aims to streamline prior authorization, promote health equity, and curb deceptive marketing. The Biden administration has shown a commitment to increasing oversight of […]
Some commercial health insurers are using policies that can delay patient care and create burden for providers, causing relationships with hospitals to worsen, according to a survey by AHA. The association fielded responses from more than 200 hospitals in 2019 and from 772 hospitals between December 2021 and February 2022, creating data that both predates […]
The proposed outpatient payment updates for 2023, including the 2.7 percent reimbursement increase, do not reflect the inflationary environment in which hospitals are operating. When commenting on the Medicare Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) and Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) Payment System proposed rule for calendar year (CY) 2023, the American Hospital Association (AHA) supported […]
Sicker patients, fewer outpatient visits, and higher expenses for labor, drugs, and supplies will continue to damage the financial health of hospitals and health systems throughout 2021, says a new analysis released today by the American Hospital Association (AHA). Hospitals nationwide will lose about $54 billion in net income over the course of the year, […]
AHA urges CMS to reassess inpatient Medicare reimbursement for organ acquisition and modify the distribution of residency slots as part of the FY 2022 IPPS proposed rule. The American Hospital Association (AHA) released comments on CMS’s FY 2022 Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) proposed rule, which would increase inpatient Medicare reimbursement rates by $2.5 billion. […]
HHS recently extended the deadline to use COVID-19 relief funds to the end of the month, but some providers say they still need more time. The American Hospital Association (AHA) is seeking more time for healthcare providers with unspent COVID-19 relief funds. The deadline to use COVID-19 relief funds is approaching for many providers. According […]
HHS recently updated Provider Relief Fund reporting requirements, extending the period of availability of funds and reporting periods. The update to the Post-Payment Notice of Reporting Requirements states that clinicians now have a period of availability of funds based on the date they received the payment, rather than the original deadline of June 30, 2021. […]
President Joe Biden has requested an increase in the HHS budget next year to strengthen public health infrastructure and crisis-related needs, among other top health spending proposals. The president’s budget for fiscal year (FY) 2022—Biden’s first since taking office—requests a total of $6 trillion. Of that, the president requested $133.7 billion for the HHS […]
The American Hospital Association is calling on CMS to eliminate some “temporary CPT codes” to ensure that coding and documentation requirements are consistent for outpatient billing. Hospitals use healthcare procedure coding system level 2 codes primarily to bill for products, supplies and services not included in current procedural terminology codes, according to CMS. This includes billing […]