CMS

WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 21, 2016)—CMS released a report showing that investments made in program integrity activities—which include stamping out fraud and deterring and reducing other improper payments—pay off for taxpayers and beneficiaries. From October 1, 2012 through September 30, 2014 (Fiscal Year (FY) 2013 and FY 2014), every dollar invested in CMS’s Medicare program integrity efforts saved $12.40 for the Medicare program.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 14, 2016)—Total health care spending growth is expected to average 5.8 percent annually over 2015–2025, according to a report published as a "Web First" by Health Affairs and authored by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Office of the Actuary (OACT).

WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 7, 2016)—CMS proposed updated payment rates and policy changes in the Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) and Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) Payment System. Several of the proposed policy changes would improve the quality of care Medicare patients receive by better supporting their physicians and other health care providers.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 6, 2016)—CMS has published 2015 Open Payments data, along with newly submitted and updated payment records for the 2013 and 2014 reporting periods, at openpaymentsdata.cms.gov.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 6, 2016)—CMS finalized new rules that will enrich the Qualified Entity Program by expanding access to analyses and data that will help providers, employers and others make more informed decisions about care delivery and quality improvement.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 6, 2016)—The American Association for Homecare praised legislation to delay a new round of Medicare reimbursement cuts for rural and non-bid area home medical equipment providers that passed the House today. An amended version of the Patient Access to Durable Medical Equipment Act of 2016 (H.R. 5210), passed through the House via voice vote Tuesday, includes the following provisions:

WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 6, 2016)—Results are in from the most recent HME Audit Key survey. The latest round of results including ADRs from October 1, 2015 thru March 31, 2016, show the following:

WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 6, 2016)—The Council for Quality Respiratory Care (CQRC)—a coalition of the nation’s home oxygen therapy providers and manufacturing companies—commended Congressman Tom Price (R-GA), David Loebsack (D-IA), Cathy McMorris-Rogers (R-WA), Peter Welch (D-VT) and their colleagues in the United States House of Representatives, for passing the Patient Access to Durable Medical Equipment (PADME) Act (H.R.

Physician Signature Worries Home Health Agencies in Pre-Claim Demo
With just more than one month before the start of CMS's Pre-Claim Review Demonstration for Home Health Services, agencies in the five-state pilot program are eagerly looking for clarification on compliance requirements. (Amy Baxter/Home Health Care News)

—via AAHomecare

WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 30, 2016)—We’re just two days away from the second phase of bidding-derived cuts for rural and non-bid area suppliers. With the House currently out of session, there’s no chance of action before July 1.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 29, 2016)—CMS announced Monday proposed changes to the Medicare home health prospective payment system (HH PPS) for calendar year (CY) 2017 that would foster greater efficiency, flexibility, payment accuracy and improved quality. Approximately 3.4 million beneficiaries received home health services from approximately 11,400 home health agencies, costing Medicare approximately $17.8 billion in 2015.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 29, 2016)—On June 24, CMS issued a proposed rule that would update payment policies and rates under the End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Prospective Payment System (PPS) for renal dialysis services furnished to beneficiaries on or after January 1, 2017. This rule also proposes new quality measures to improve the quality of care by dialysis facilities treating patients with end-stage renal disease.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 24, 2016)—Just minutes after AAHomecare updated members about the status of rural relief legislation on Capitol Hill, they received CMS’s announcement of the release of the 2016 DMEPOS fee schedule amounts set to take effect on July 1 for certain items outside of Competitive Bid Areas that were adjusted based on information from the bidding program.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 24, 2016)—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announces the release of the July 2016 Medicare Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics and Supplies (DMEPOS) fee schedule amounts. The fee schedule amounts are available here.

—via AAHomecare

WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 24, 2016)—As reported to the AAHomecare membership Wednesday, we were successful in passing an amended version of S.2736 through the Senate via unanimous consent on Tuesday evening.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 23, 2016)—CMS released a final rule implementing Section 216(a) of the Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014 (PAMA), requiring laboratories performing clinical diagnostic laboratory tests to report the amounts paid by private insurers for laboratory tests. Medicare will use these private insurer rates to calculate Medicare payment rates for laboratory tests paid under the Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule (CLFS) beginning January 1, 2018.

LENEXA, Kan. (June 16, 2016)—Mediware Information Systems, Inc., is hosting a free webinar for attendees Wednesday, June 29, at 2 p.m. CST (3 p.m. EST) to discuss how to successfully grow your business through marketing strategies while staying within the law. The webinar is titled “Health Care Marketing Compliance 101: Protecting Your HME/DME from the OIG and DOJ,” presented by Matthew Agnew and Stephen Angelette of Polsinelli Health Care Regulatory Associates.