WASHINGTON—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released updated Health Care Provider Guidance aimed at strengthening emergency preparedness across care settings, including long term care.
WASHINGTON—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a proposed local coverage determination (LCD) for a not reasonable and necessary determination for Group 2 power wheelchairs (PWCs) with seat elevation systems (K0830 and K0831) based on the best available evidence.
CARY, North Carolina—Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC) has received continued approval from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) as a national accrediting organization for its hospice and critical access hospital (CAH) programs. The ACHC said the six-year renewal, effective until 2031, is the longest term available.
WASHINGTON—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Innovation Center (CMMI) has issued additional updates on the Advancing Chronic Care with Effective, Scalable Solutions (ACCESS) Model. The ACCESS model is a voluntary 10-year national test of a payment approach leveraging technology in care delivery.
These updates include:
WASHINGTON—Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) is spearheading a Congressional sign-on letter to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Mehmet Oz seeking to delay competitive bidding for ostomy and urological supplies.
Delaying implementation of the proposed bidding protocols for these products will allow for a thorough review of serious concerns arising from their potential inclusion in the competitive bidding program, advocates argue.
WASHINGTON—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has proposed a 0.09% increase in Medicare Advantage (MA) payments for calendar year 2027.
If finalized, the proposed policies are projected to result in a net average year-over-year payment increase of 0.09%, or over $700 million in MA payments to plans in CY 2027.
WASHINGTON—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released a new online complaint form for providers to submit grievances related to Medicare Advantage (MA) plans.
WASHINGTON—Earlier this week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) updated several lists that cover durable medical equipment (DME) reimbursement authorization. The three lists updated were the required face-to-face and written order prior to delivery list (Required F2F/WOPD), the required prior authorization list and the master list.
WASHINGTON—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced it is expanding the provisional period of enhanced oversight (PPEO) for newly enrolled hospices in Ohio and Georgia. This expansion adds to the list of states that have implemented the PPEO including Arizona, California, Nevada and Texas.
OWINGS MILLS, Maryland—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has reinstated the Board of Certification/Accreditation (BOC) as an approved accrediting organization (AO) for durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics and supplies (DMEPOS) until further notice.
WASHINGTON—The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) released a draft report recommending that Congress reduce the Medicare base payment rate for home health care services for calendar year 2027 by 7%.
Along with the occasional aches and pains, growing older can bring surprise setbacks and serious diseases. Longtime relationships with doctors people trust often make even bad news more tolerable. Losing that support — especially during a health crisis — can be terrifying. That’s why little-known federal requirements are supposed to protect people with privately run Medicare Advantage coverage when contract disputes lead their health care providers and insurers to part ways.
OVERLAND PARK, Kansas—Netsmart, a provider of health care IT for post-acute and human services providers, announced the launch of AlphaCoding, an augmented intelligence (AI) solution designed to help transform clinical coding by driving accuracy, efficiency and compliance.
WASHINGTON—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) officially approved five durable medical equipment, prosthetics and orthotics supplies (DMEPOS)-related audit projects under the new Medicare Recovery Audit Contractor (RAC), Cotiviti GOV Services, LLC, marking the contractor’s first time overseeing Medicare DMEPOS RAC reviews.
The new projects include:
BURKBURNETT, Texas—HomeWell Care Services, a non-medical in-home care franchises, has announced a national strategic partnership with PocketRN, a virtual nursing provider, to expand its dementia care support for seniors and their families as part of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’s (CMS) Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience (GUIDE) Model.
WASHINGTON—A national poll by Fabrizio Ward, commissioned by the National Alliance for Care at Home (the Alliance), found that seven in 10 Americans oppose the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) 2026 Medicare home health proposed rule, which is expected to cut Medicare home health funding by an additional 9%, or $1.1 billion, next year.
WASHINGTON—Representatives Kevin Hern (OK-01) and Terri Sewell (AL-07) introduced the Home Health Stabilization Act of 2025 (HR 7027). The legislation aims to ensure patients have access to rehabilitative care by pausing the payment cuts proposed in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Calendar Year 2026 Home Health Prospective Payment System proposed rule. The legislation also looks to create a more sustainable payment system for Medicare Home Health Agencies (HHAs).
WASHINGTON—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is retracting its recent guidance regarding Outcome and Assessment Information Set (OASIS) data collection, according to the National Alliance for Care at Home.
