Implementing and pursuing innovation in digital health and healthcare IT should be a priority for all U.S. healthcare providers and payers — especially as the lessons and response to the Covid-19 pandemic become permanently part of our everyday lives. The outbreak of Covid-19 was a “black swan” event that dramatically accelerated the evolution and acceptance […]
The Medicare program and Medicare beneficiaries could have saved a combined $1.6 billion if provider-based facilities charged the same payment rate as freestanding facilities, OIG found. Medicare and its beneficiaries paid significantly higher prices at provider-based facilities than they would have paid to freestanding facilities for the same services, according to a report from the […]
The Biden administration wants to close the gap before new Medicare beneficiaries can get coverage and expand use of special enrollment periods. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a proposed rule Friday that updated Medicare enrollment and eligibility rules. One of the key proposals is to provide Medicare coverage a month immediately […]
Coming soon is the possible end of the PHE. Will it be extended? How does the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022 impact the PHE, and where does telehealth fit into all of this? The COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) is slated to end this week on Thursday, April 14. But the signs are pointing […]
Thanks to new provisions that went into effect for the 2022 calendar year, CMS is no longer necessarily considering “nefarious intent” when determining whether a provider or supplier should be excluded from the Medicare program. The Physician Fee Schedule for the 2022 calendar year is in full effect. The proposals, which were issued in July […]
The industry group states that Medicare physician payment bump will hinder the delivery of high-quality care as providers face financial burdens. MedPAC, a panel tasked with advising Congress on issues impacting the Medicare program, voted to recommend no increase to 2023 Medicare reimbursement rates for physicians. “Temporary or high variable coronavirus effects are best addressed […]
Mississippi’s Medicaid program ranks poorly for its access to and quality of care, but Medicaid expansion could increase healthcare coverage along with lowering state Medicaid spending. Mississippi could achieve lower state Medicaid spending over the course of five years by expanding its Medicaid program with the American Rescue Plan boost to federal matching, a […]
CMS attributes the increases in part to rising prices and utilization across the healthcare system, as well as Aduhelm. The standard monthly premium for Medicare Part B enrollees will be $170.10 for 2022, an increase of $21.60 from $148.50 in 2021. This represents a 14.5% increase. The annual deductible for all Medicare Part B beneficiaries […]
Telehealth advocates are submitting recommendations to CMS to improve coverage for remote patient monitoring services in the proposed 2022 Physician Fee Schedule. With remote patient monitoring projects surging in popularity as a result of the pandemic, telehealth advocates are lobbying the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to improve proposed coverage plans in the 2022 […]
A leaked CMS report targeting HCA Healthcare-owned Good Samaritan Hospital in California warns the hospital to fix Medicare noncompliance issues or risk termination. A leaked CMS report put HCA Healthcare-owned Good Samaritan Hospital in California at risk of program termination by October if they fail to fix Medicare noncompliance issues that resulted in patient harm. […]