Washington, D.C. (May 17, 2019)—A group of industry trade organizations is commending the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for releasing detailed guidance describing how bidders’ estimated capacity will drive the final single payment amounts (SPAs) and for announcing a new bidding window for Medicare’s Round 2021 of the Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics and Supplies (DMEPOS) competitive bidding program (CBP).
CMS
WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 2, 2019)—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will be hosting three webcasts as part of their education program to assist bidders and sureties on CB 2021. During the webcasts, CMS will be accepting questions from participants but encourages question submissions before the webcast at cbic.admin@palmettogba.com with “Webcast Question” in the subject line. Below is the schedule for the webcasts and providers can register for the first session here.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 2, 2019)—New legislation to establish a separate benefit for complex rehab technology (CRT) wheelchairs under Medicare has been introduced in the House. H.R. 2408, sponsored by Reps.
HARTFORD, Conn. and PHILADELPHIA (April 23, 2019)—CareCentrix, a pioneer in home-based post-acute care (PAC) solutions, and Turn-Key Health, a provider of community-based palliative care solutions to health plans and provider organizations, announced a partnership which expands the CareCentrix PAC program by integrating Turn-Key’s Palliative Illness Management (PIM) solution for patients burdened by a serious or advanced illness.
(April 23, 2019)—One of the two Medicare trust funds is on pace to run out of funds in seven years, according a report released Monday by the Medicare Board of Trustees. The projections align with last year’s forecasts.
Due to the aging population, spending for the Medicare hospital insurance trust fund--which covers Part A and Part C plans--could be depleted by 2026, the report said. Medicare costs are projected to continue to rise during this time.
A multifaceted approach to M&A activity
WASHINGTON, (April 18, 2019)—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has selected 12 additional items of Durable Medical Equipment (DME) to be subject to required prior authorization (CMS 6080-N2).
Reimbursements withheld due to physician errors harm oxygen providers
New CMS codes lead to better payout for providers
Via NAHC, WASHINGTON, D.C. (April 3, 2019)—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) posted long-awaited information about the next steps for its Review Choice Demonstration, which will begin in Illinois on June 1, 2019.
WATERLOO, Iowa (March 22, 2019)—In response to the aggressive timeline for providers to meet CMS’s newest requirements to bid in Round 2021, VGM Insurance Services, in affiliation with its treasury-listed partner, Lexon Insurance Company, has developed a new Competitive Bid Bond product available to businesses intending to participate in the next round of bidding.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 14, 2019)—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) updated its Drug Spending Dashboards with data for 2017. This Administration’s version of the drug dashboards, first released in May of 2018, adds information on the manufacturers that are responsible for price increases and includes pricing and spending data for thousands more drugs across Medicare Parts B and D and Medicaid.
How to know if outsourcing is a fit for your agency
WASHINGTON, D.C. (February 26, 2019)—In the Feb. 22, issue of the NAHC Report, the National Association of Home Care & Hospice broke down a recent Health Affairs study. Health care spending in the United States is expected to rise to nearly $6 trillion by 2027, but home health spending will rise faster than all other care categories, according to a new projection from the Office of the Actuary of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
WASHINGTON, D.C. (February 22, 2019)—Over the past two and a half years, AAHomecare’s payer relations efforts have helped stop or limit proposed Medicaid reimbursement cuts in dozens of states, limited the spread of sole-source and narrow-network contract arrangements, and successfully lobbied TRICARE to provide retroactive relief for HME reimbursements based on the 2016 CURES bill.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (February 19, 2019)—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) launched “CMS: Beyond the Policy,” a new podcast highlighting updates and changes to policies and programs in an easily accessible and conversational format. The podcast was created as a new method to explain the agency’s policies and programs.
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (February 15, 2019)—The National Home Infusion Association (NHIA) filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) over a misguided policy determination that could significantly reduce patients’ access to home infusion therapy services.
NEW BEDFORD, Mass. (February 14, 2019)—On February 12th, the Home Medical Equipment & Services Association of New England (HOMES) was invited by Health & Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar and Region 1 director John McGough to the CMS and HHS Region 1 office to listen and understand issues related to Medicare policies and home medical equipment.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (February 11, 2019)—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released CMS-9115-P, the Interoperability and Patient Access Proposed Rule. The new rule outlines proposed policy changes to the MyHealthEData initiative to improve patient access to and advance electronic data exchange and care coordination throughout the health care system. CMS is also releasing two requests for information (RFIs) for feedback from providers in post-acute care settings.