Sharing patient data across the care continuum
CMS
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).
WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 19, 2019)—The Competitive Bidding Implementation Contractor released a new Financial Scoring Methodology fact sheet providing information about the financial scoring process used to evaluate a bidder’s financial health for Round 2021.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 11, 2019)—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced on Thursday, July 11 that it had proposed a new rule to update the rates and wages for home health care for 2020, and implementing the Patient-Driven Groupings Model (PDGM), as well as other items.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (July 9, 2019)—More than 80% of Medicare-reimbursed hospice agencies were cited with a deficiency between 2012 and 2016, according to a new report issued by the U.S. Office of Health and Human Services (HHS); in 2016, 300--or 18% of all hospices in the country--had serious problems or complaints.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 25, 2019)—More than 40% of the members of the United States House of Representatives have joined a letter asking federal regulators to keep noninvasive ventilators out of the next round of the competitive bidding program for HME.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (June 7, 2019)—Seema Verma, the administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), released an update on the administration’s #PatientsOverPaperwork initiative, citing the need for competition in the industry. But some home medical equipment (HME) providers weren't convinced.
*Updated June 7, 2019 with link to presentation.
NASHVILLE (June 5, 2019)—Some 130 providers from around the country gathered Wednesday in Nashville, Tennessee, for the Bid Smart 2019 Summit, sponsored by the VGM Group, AAHomecare, the Council for Quality Respiratory Care (CQRC), At Home Services and the Healthcare Nutrition Council. The interactive summit covered the details of Round 2021 and helped providers learn how to approach bidding fully informed.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 31, 2019)—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will be hosting two Special Open Door Forums (ODF) on June 4 and June 12, 2019.
Prior Authorization
On June 4, CMS will host an ODF from 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm EDT on the implementation of prior authorization (PA) for pressure reducing support surfaces. This ODF is a follow-up from an announcement published in the Federal Register on April 22.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 29, 2019)—As the home medical equipment industry prepares for the next round of the competitive bidding program, patient advocacy groups are rallying around the latest category added to the program—non-invasive ventilation (NIV).