CMS has released the 2018 rules that finalize policy and payment changes for the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) and the Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) and Ambulatory Surgical Centers (ASC) Payment System. The PFS final rule will appear in the Federal Register on Nov. 15 and OPPS and ASC final rule on …
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CDC: Births Down – Deaths up in U.S. The latest quarterly estimates published by the Center for Disease Control show the birth rates are down by more than two percent this year compared to this time last year. As the American population ages, more and more people are dying of diseases like Alzheimer’s, Heart Disease …
The US vaccine panel discussed last week in Atlanta, the waning effectiveness on new shots. The issue of waning protection was discussed by the Advisory committee on Immunization Practices. The federal panel of experts recommends what vaccines children and adults should receive and when. The vaccines discussed were Flu, Mumps and the Hepatitis B. The …
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According to a newly-released health department update, California reports a Hepatitis “A” outbreak and is one of the largest that our country has experienced in decades. Many have died in San Diego in the past few month and over 500 people have been diagnosed with the liver infection according to the county Health and …
November 2017, you will be able to order educational materials concerning the new card. Before April 1, 2018 your practice will need to update your system to be able to accept the MDI “Medicare Beneficiary Identifier” by April 1, 2018. If you have a vendor, utilize them to update their practice management system. Transition …
Delay in Implementation of the Revision to the Consultation Services Reimbursement Policy. They previously announced that certain revisions to the Consultation Services Reimbursement Policy would become effective for United Healthcare Commercial members on Oct. 1, 2017. In an effort to give care providers more time to adjust to potential changes in their submission of …
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Quality payment program started anytime between January 1, 2017 and October 2, 2017. Whenever you chose to start, performance data needs to be submitted by March 31, 2018. January 1, 2019 is the date that the first payment adjustments based on performance goes into effect. The adjustments in the Medicare payments can be up, down …
September 21, 2017 Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands Update “Hurricane Maria” The HHS Secretary Thomas E. Price, MD declared a Public Health Emergency in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands due to Hurricane Maria on Tuesday, September 19, 2017. You can find the OCR’s latest guidance on Hurricane Maria, limited waiver of HIPAA …
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CMS News Updates: Disaster Exceptions/Exemptions for Medicare Certified Providers Affected by Severe Storms and Flooding: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is granting exceptions under certain Medicare quality reporting and value-based purchasing programs to acute care hospitals, PPS-exempt cancer hospitals, inpatient psychiatric facilities, skilled nursing facilities, home health agencies, hospices, inpatient rehabilitation facilities, …
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