The OIG recently issued a report, found at www.kslaw.com, concerning the potential financial impact to Medicare Part A if CMS established a hospital transfer payment policy for early discharges to hospice care. The OIG explained that it undertook this review because...
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7 Insurers Sign on to Participate in Georgia Health Insurance Exchange
Seven health insurers have signed up to offer benefits plans as part of the online insurance exchange that begins enrolling Georgians in October, reports Georgia Health News. The companies that have signed on are: Aetna, Alliant, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia,...
Senate Takes up Bill to Improve Medicare Audits and Address RAC Concerns
A new Senate bill addresses provider concerns over the Medicare audit process, including the role of Recovery Audit Contractors. The House is also considering a version of the “Medicare Audit Improvement Act of 2013,” which lawmakers originally introduced in October...
Insurers Limit Doctors and Hospitals in State-Run Exchange Plans
California's health insurance rates for a new state-run marketplace came in lower than expected this week, but one downside for many consumers will be far fewer doctors and hospitals to choose from. People who want UCLA Medical Center and its doctors in their health...
CMS Issues more In-Depth Survey Guidelines to Reduce Readmissions
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has revised the provider certification manual for hospitals, giving more in-depth guidelines around discharge planning. The goal is for hospitals to reduce readmissions by partnering with post-acute providers. The...
Did CMS Break Rules to Rig Bid Numbers?
Anybody who is paying any attention to the Medicare competitive bidding program understands that the program is fatally flawed. We all know that just about every qualified expert in the field of auction design has agreed that the program breaks just about every rule...
Industry Casts Further Doubt on Bid Process
H.R. 1717 remains the HME industry’s No. 1 priority, but with time running out, stakeholders are again pressing for a delay in the July 1 start date of Round 2 of competitive bidding. The basis for that delay: a growing list of contract suppliers that appear to fail...
Tennessee Congressional Delegation Question Legality of Competitive Bidding
Members of the Tennessee United States Congressional delegation today called on the administration "to provide details on its policy of awarding Medicare contracts to businesses not licensed in Tennessee, a violation of the administration’s bid policy and a violation...
Senators Introduce CRT Bill
WASHINGTON – Industry stakeholders now have bills in both the House of Representatives and the Senate to create a separate benefit for complex rehab technology (CRT). Sens. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Thad Cochran, R-Miss., introduced S. 948, the “Ensuring Access To...
CMS: Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospital Allotment Payment Reductions
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) put on display at the Federal Register a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking titled “Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospital Allotment Payment Reductions” (CMS-2367-P.) The Affordable Care Act requires...
Deadline Approaching for Competitive Bidding Grandfathering Notification
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) states: “Non-contract suppliers must provide written notification of their decision whether to be a grandfathered supplier to all of their Medicare beneficiaries who reside in a competitive bidding area (CBA) and...
Inconsistency in Hospital Charges Alarming
The White House administration revealed what over 3,000 hospitals charge for common medical procedures in an early effort to challenge healthcare costs by showing consumers how prices for the same service can vary by tens of thousands of dollars. The most extensive...