Get your team ready for a possible feeding frenzy
CMS
WASHINGTON, D.C. (February 22, 2022)—Medicare paid a total $6.6 billion to nonhospice providers for services provided to hospice beneficiaries between 2010 and 2019, according to a new report from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office of the Inspector General (OIG).
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (February 3, 2022)—The National Home Infusion Association (NHIA) appreciates the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services (CMS) publication, “HIT Monitoring Report, January 2022,” which summarizes utilization trends for the Medicare Part B home infusion therapy (HIT) services benefit over three years.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (February 3, 2022)—As part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s ongoing efforts to expand Americans’ access to free testing, people in either Original Medicare or Medicare Advantage will be able to get over-the-counter COVID-19 tests at no cost starting in early spring. Under the new initiative, Medicare beneficiaries will be able to access up to eight over-the-counter COVID-19 tests per month for free.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (January 27, 2022)—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has published the 2021 Medicare Fee-For-Service Supplemental Improper Payment Data report. This is an annual report published by CMS’s Comprehensive Error Rate Testing (CERT) program that is intended to measure the improper payments made in the Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) program.
[UPDATED at 4 p.m. ET]
What group is especially vulnerable to the ravages of covid-19 even if fully vaccinated and boosted? Seniors. And who will have an especially tough time getting free at-home covid tests under the Biden administration’s plan? Yes, seniors.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (January 11, 2022)—The deadline for home health agencies to submit a request for an exemption from participating in the Home Health CAHPS (HH CAHPS) Survey for the CY 2023 Annual Payment Update (APU) is March 31, 2022.
The industry's unfinished business
New model should address social determinants of health at home
WASHINGTON, D.C. (January 7, 2022)—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Competitive Bidding Implementation Contractor (CBIC) recently announced the redesigned CBIC homepage.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (December 21, 2021)—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has just released a long-awaited durable medical equipment (DME) rule that includes significant provisions impacting Medicare reimbursement for DME products and services.
NEW ORLEANS, La. (December 15, 2021)—The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has revived the federal COVID-19 vaccine mandate for health care facilities, including home health agencies, in 26 states.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (December 2, 2021)—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published fee schedule adjustments for durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics and supplies (DMEPOS) for calendar year (CY) 2022. Adjustments differ depending on whether the items serviced are competitive bidding program (CBP) items or in former competitive bidding areas (CBAs). Below is the breakdown:
Updated Dec. 1, 2021, at 3:22 p.m. to include statement from NAHC.
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (November 30, 2021)—A judge has blocked enforcement of the Biden administration’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for health care workers in 10 rural states pending a trial over whether the federal government exceeded its authority in issuing the nationwide requirement.
LANSING, Mich. (Nov. 18, 2021)—Amy Bassano, former deputy director for the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, has joined national healthcare consulting firm Health Management Associates (HMA), taking the helm as a managing director of Medicare services.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (November 12, 2021)—The Centers for Medicare and Medicare Services (CMS) announced it is rescinding the Medicare Coverage of Innovative Technology and Definition of “Reasonable and Necessary” (MCIT/R&N) final rule because of concerns that the provisions in the final rule may not have been sufficient to protect Medicare patients. By rescinding this rule, CMS can take action that will better address those safety concerns in the future.
Switching seniors to Medicare Advantage plans has cost taxpayers tens of billions of dollars more than keeping them in original Medicare, a cost that has exploded since 2018 and is likely to rise even higher, new research has found.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (November 5, 2021)—Home health agencies dodged a bullet when it came to the federal governemnt’s new rule on home health care, said National Association for HomeCare and Hospice (NAHC) President Bill Dombi.
That’s because the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) did not end up requiring spending cuts to achieve budget neutrality in the final Home Health Rule it issued this week—despite suggesting it would in the draft.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (November 4, 2021)—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued an emergency regulation Thursday requiring about 17 million people working for some 76,000 health care providers—including those in home health, hospice and home infusion—to be at least partially vaccinated against COVID-19 by December 5, 2021.
Updated Nov. 3 at 7:22 a.m. with statement from Bill Dombi.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (November 2, 2021)—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued its awaited final rule affecting home health today, expanding the Home Health Value-Based Purchasing Model (HHVBP) and increasing payment rates for home health by 3.2% in 2022.