BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (November 11, 2022)—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has published a clarification regarding medical review audits after the public health emergency (PHE) ends. This is the first public guidance CMS has published regarding audit
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WASHINGTON, D.C. (November 1, 2022)—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released its final rule for Medicare home health payments on October 31, settling on a rate reduction of 3.925% for 2023 with additional cuts to come in 2024. That's less than the 7.69% cut initially proposed by the agency for 2023, but still a blow to providers, according to industry advocates.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 6, 2022)—As part of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) ongoing work to improve access to care, reduce clinician burden, and support interoperability throughout the health sector, CMS has released a Request for Information (RFI) seeking public input on the concept of CMS creating a directory with information on health care providers and services or a “National Directory of Health Care Providers and Services” (NDH).
WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 4, 2022)—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that Nov. 6, 2022, is the last day that the National Supplier Clearinghouse (NSC) will process Medicare enrollment applications for durable medical equipment, prosthetics and orthothics (DMPOS) suppliers.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 4, 2022)—On Sept. 29, 2022, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the list of Medicare Advantage (MA) plans that will participate in the Medicare Advantage (MA) Value-Based Insurance Design (VBID) Model during Calendar Year (CY) 2023, including those that will participate in the MA VBID Hospice Benefit Component (an offshoot of the larger VBID model which began operation in January 2021).
WASHINGTON, D.C. (September 22, 2022)—The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through its Administration for Community Living, released the 2022 National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers. It highlights nearly 350 actions the federal government will take to support family caregivers in the coming year and more than 150 actions that can be adopted at other levels of government and across the private sector to build a system to support family caregivers.
WASHINTON, D.C. (September 9, 2022)—More than 1,700 Medicare providers have indications that they fraudulently billed Medicare for telehealth services, according to a new report from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG). These providers billed telehealth services for about half a million beneficiaries and received a total of $127.7 million in Medicare fee-for-service payments.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 30, 2022)—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is seeking public comments on various aspects of the Medicare Advantage (MA) program. The American Association for Homecare (AAHomecare) is submitting comments for the request for information, due on Wednesday, Aug. 31. The association is asking industry stakeholders to add their comments to ensure better oversight of these plans and maintain strong access for home medical equipment (HME) suppliers.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 30, 2022)—The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 required the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to implement various hospice survey reforms. In the CY 2022 Home Health Prospective Payment System (HH PPS) final rule, CMS addressed these reforms, including development of a hospice special focus program (SFP).
WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 23, 2022)—The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), has awarded approximately $25 million in planning grants to five new states and territories to expand access to home and community-based services (HCBS) through Medicaid’s Money Follows the Person (MFP) demonstration program. With these awards, 41 states and territories across the country will now participate in MFP.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 19, 2022)—As part of its ongoing efforts to increase access to care and to reduce unnecessary administrative burden for stakeholders, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will be discontinuing the use of Certificates of Medical Necessity (CMNs) and Durable Medical Equipment (DME) Information Forms (DIFs) for claims with dates of service on or after Jan. 1, 2023.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 18, 2022)—Disability group advocates and mobility stakeholders are energized the wake of the announcement from Centers of Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) opening the Medicare National Coverage Determination (NCD) for seat elevation systems used with power wheelchairs.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 16, 2022)—Calling the government’s proposed changes to Medicaid home health services “baffling,” the National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) submitted more than 100 pages of comments and supporting materials today arguing against the proposed rule.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 12, 2022)—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and their contractor, Abt Associates, are recruiting additional Medicare-certified hospice providers to participate in a beta test of the draft hospice patient assessment instrument called Hospice Outcomes & Patient Evaluation (HOPE). Recruitment is ongoing and training will occur on a rolling basis. Data collection begins when training is completed and is expected to continue through fall 2022.
WASHIGTON, D.C. (August 11, 2022)—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is not planning substantial rulemaking to set a new round of home medical equipment competitive bidding in motion, the American Association for Homecare (AAHomecare) said in a press release.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 2, 2022)—The United States’ Department of Health and Human Services, through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), has unveiled guidance on a new Medicaid health home benefit for children with medically complex conditions. This new optional benefit helps state Medicaid programs provide Medicaid-eligible children who have medically complex conditions with person-centered care management, care coordination, and patient and family support.
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WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 28, 2022)—Mobility stakeholders and patient group leaders are preparing for an expected opening of the National Coverage Determination (NCD) for seat elevation and standing systems for power wheelchairs.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 22, 2022)—The Department of Justice announced criminal charges against 36 defendants in 13 federal districts across the United States for more than $1.2 billion in alleged fraudulent telemedicine, cardiovascular and cancer genetic testing, and durable medical equipment (DME) schemes.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 21, 2022)—Today, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is releasing the first-ever home- and community-based services (HCBS) quality measure set to promote consistent quality measurement within and across state Medicaid HCBS programs. The measure set is intended to provide insight into the quality of HCBS programs and enable states to measure and improve health outcomes for people relying on long-term services and support (LTSS) in Medicaid.
Evaluate your processes now to save headaches later
WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 8, 2022)—The National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) and a group of likeminded organizations have written to Brian Slater, director of the Division of Home Health and Hospice in the Center for Medicare Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to reiterate strong support for the authority of nurse practitioners (NPs) and clinical nurse specialists (CNSs) to order and certify home health services for Medicare beneficiaries.