Tag: Medicare Beneficiaries

CMS Aims To Streamline Prior Authorization To Reform MA

CMS Aims To Streamline Prior Authorization To Reform MA

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 […]
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Updates on End-Stage Renal Disease Prospective Payment

Updates on End-Stage Renal Disease Prospective Payment

CMS issued a proposed rule to update payment rates and policies under the End-Stage Renal Disease Prospective Payment System for renal dialysis services furnished to Medicare beneficiaries on or after Jan. 1, 2023. Here are four takeaways from the proposed rule: Under the proposed rule, Medicare expects to pay $8.2 billion to approximately 7,800 facilities […]
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Medicare Patients Received 54.5M Office Visits Via Telehealth in 2020

Medicare Patients Received 54.5M Office Visits Via Telehealth in 2020

Office visits represented 48 percent of all telehealth services used in the first year of the pandemic, making it the service most accessed via telehealth, federal data shows. Medicare beneficiaries most often used telehealth for office visits in 2020, receiving 54.5 million virtual office visits in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to […]
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More Medicare Advantage plans will offer nonmedical benefits in 2022, finds Avalere

More Medicare Advantage plans will offer nonmedical benefits in 2022, finds Avalere

  More plans will offer meals, nutrition, transportation or in-home support services at a $0 premium in 2022. Ahead of the annual election period, which began on October 15, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services published information on MA and Part D plan (PDP) premiums, benefit offerings and star ratings. Avalere analyzed that data […]
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Medicare Beneficiary Identifiers

The New Medicare Cards: What You Need to Know About Medicare Beneficiary Identifiers (MBIs)

To protect the privacy of Medicare recipients and prevent fraudulent use of Social Security Numbers (SSN), a new, unique 11-character Medicare Beneficiary Identifier (MBI) is replacing the SSN-based Health Insurance Claim Number (HICN) for Medicare transactions such as billing, eligibility status, and claim submissions. The MBI does not change Medicare benefits. What’s Behind The Change? The […]
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CMS To Revamp Coding For New Medical Technology

CMS To Revamp Coding For New Medical Technology

Dive Brief CMS Administrator Seema Verma announced Thursday the agency will overhaul coding regulations that she argues have hindered beneficiary access to new medical technology. Medical device companies will now be able to apply for a new permanent Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) code twice a year, instead of annually. CMS also recently eliminated […]
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