Preparing for revenue shortfalls before the new billing mandate
CMS
WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 25, 2019)—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Service (CMS) has responded to members of the House of Representatives who joined a Congressional sign-on letter asking the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and CMS to reconsider plans to include non-invasive ventilators in Round 2021 of the competitive bidding program.
A look at CMS’s recommendations for providers
WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 18, 2019)—Recently the Senate Appropriations Committee announced legislation funding the departments of Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), and Education. This legislation outlines discretionary spending limits allowable to HHS as well as recommendations from Congress on how the money is allocated within agencies and programs. This is an annual process dictating spending levels for the upcoming fiscal year.
CHICAGO (October 11, 2019)—As we kick off Breast Cancer Awareness month, Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), lead sponsor for S.562, the Breast Cancer Patient Equity Act, visited Second Act Mastectomy Boutique in Chicago to meet with breast cancer survivors.
FRANKLIN, Tenn. (June 28, 2019)—AdhereHealth, a health care technology company focused on medication adherence, has announced a partnership with Papa, a companionship platform company serving the elderly, blind and disabled. A growing issue for millions of Americans enrolled in Medicare are social determinants of health (SDOH) such as loneliness, food insecurity and transportation, any one of which can impede optimal health care and medication adherence.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 3, 2019)—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) announced that the next state to participate in the Review Choice Demonstration (RCD) is Texas and it will begin on Dec. 2, 2019. CMS also indicated that implementation of RCD in the remaining states of North Carolina and Florida is expected to begin on March 30, 2020, as CMS is pausing implementation to allow for the transition to PDGM which begins on Jan. 1, 2020.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (October 2, 2019)—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released a long-awaited discharge planning final rule for hospitals, critical access hospitals and home health agencies. The proposed rule was posted in November 2015, and has taken almost four years to reach the final version. It will be effective Nov. 29, 2019.
Ease the auditing process for respiratory providers
WASHINGTON, D.C. (September 27, 2019)—Reps. Cathy McMorris Rogers (R-Wash.) and Dave Loebsack (D-Iowa) have sent a “Dear Colleague” letter to their House peers urging them to co-sponsor H.R. 2771, the Protecting Home Oxygen and Medical Equipment Act of 2019.
Sharing patient data across the care continuum
WASHINGTON, D.C. (September 17, 2019)—The National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) submitted comments on the 2020 home health prospective payment system rate update proposed rule.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (September 13, 2019)—The Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) recently released a report pertaining to home health agencies (HHA), “The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Could Use Comprehensive Error Rate Testing Data To Identify High-Risk Home Health Agencies.”
WASHINGTON, D.C. (September 10, 2019)—The DME CBP Collaboration has sent the following update to users who have registered with the dmecbpeducation.com resource related to the site's bidding calculators:
The DME CBP Collaboration thanks you for engaging in Competitive Bidding Program education.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (September 5, 2019)—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final rule that strengthens the agency's ability to stop fraud before it happens by keeping unscrupulous providers out of federal health insurance programs. The rule has been under consideration for more than three years, according to the National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC).
WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 13, 2019)—The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (BBA 2018) included a provision permitting physician assistants (PAs), beginning Jan. 1, 2019, to serve as hospice attending physicians.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 13, 2019)—On Aug.
Watch for streamlining of claims & new fee schedule determinations
WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 29, 2019)—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced on Monday that the Review Choice Demonstration (RCD) would begin in Ohio on Sept. 30, 2019.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 26, 2019)—In the 2020 home health prospective payment system (HHPPS) rate update proposed rule, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposes a number changes to the Home Health Quality Reporting Program (HHQRP) for calendar year (CY) 2022.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 19, 2019)—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced it will reject claims submitted with the Health Insurance Claim Number, with very few exceptions, starting Jan. 1, 2020. All eligibility transactions using the Health Insurance Claim Number will be rejected after that date, with no exceptions. Providers must use the Medicare Beneficiary Identifier (MBI).