From the HHS Press Release: Case-Mix Indexes Recalibrated CMS announced a final rule reducing Medicare skilled nursing facility (SNF) Prospective Payment System (PPS) payments in FY 2012 by $3.87 billion, or 11.1 percent lower than payments for FY 2011. The FY 2012 rates correct for an unintended spike in payment levels and better align Medicare […]
From the HHS Press Release: CMS took steps to encourage the creation of Consumer Operated and Oriented Plans (CO-OPs), new private non-profit, consumer-governed health insurance plans that will help increase competition and give consumers and small businesses additional affordable health insurance choices. CMS is proposing standards for CO-OPs, and for qualifying for $3.8 billion in […]
From the HHS Press Release: Proposed Rules Offer States Flexibility, Choices, Competition And Clout For Consumers And Small Businesses On July 11, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) proposed a framework to assist states in building Affordable Insurance Exchanges, state-based competitive marketplaces where individuals and small businesses will be able to […]
From the HHS Press Release: Following an investigation by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR), the University of California at Los Angeles Health System (UCLAHS) has agreed to settle potential violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) Privacy and Security Rules for […]
From the CMS Press Release: CMS announced Tuesday a number of proposed changes to Medicare home health payments for 2012 that if finalized will promote greater efficiency and payment accuracy. A proposed rule was displayed at the Federal Register today proposes a 3.35 percent decrease in Medicare payments to home health agencies (HHAs) for calendar […]
From the CMS Press Release: On Friday, July 1, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a proposed rule that would update payment policies and rates for physicians and nonphysician practitioners (NPPs) for services paid under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) in calendar year (CY) 2012. More than 1 million providers of […]
From the CMS Press Release: Friday, July 1, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a proposed rule that would update payment policies and payment rates for services furnished to Medicare beneficiaries in hospital outpatient departments (HOPDs) and ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs) beginning Jan. 1, 2012. The proposed rule would continue to emphasize […]
From the CMS Press Release: Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, nearly 500,000 people with Medicare Part D who reached the gap in coverage know as the “donut hole” have received an automatic 50 percent discount on their covered brand name prescription drugs. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) posted data today that […]
From the CMS Press Release: Technology is Similar to Tools Used by Credit Card Companies, Builds on White House Campaign to Cut Waste On the heels of the White House launch of the Campaign to Cut Waste – an administration wide initiative to crack down on waste, fraud and abuse, the Centers for Medicare & […]