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.
Medicare
—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.
DENVER (June 23, 2016)—Remote monitoring and automated coaching from ResMed significantly improve the use of continuous positive airway pressure therapy for patients with obstructive sleep apnea, according to an independent Kaiser Permanente study presented last week at the SLEEP conference in Denver—the largest-ever randomized, controlled study on OSA in the United States.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 9, 2016)—The Partnership for Quality Home Healthcare—a coalition of home health providers dedicated to improving the integrity, quality and efficiency of home health care for our nation's seniors—today expressed disappointment with the revised home health prior authorization demonstration released today by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 9, 2016)—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) today released a final rule improving how Medicare pays Accountable Care Organizations in the Medicare Shared Savings Program for delivering better patient care. Medicare is moving away from paying for each service a physician provides towards a system that rewards physicians for coordinating with each other.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 8, 2016)—A newly released GAO report, “Medicare: Utilization and Expenditures for Complex Wheelchair Accessories,” was presented to Congress on June 1, 2016, just 30 days before prices derived from CMS’s flawed bidding program for home medical equipment are set to take effect for specialized complex rehab technology (CRT) wheelchairs used by individuals with profound mobility and disability challenges.
DALLAS (June 1, 2016)—Rising numbers of retirees and excess cost growth have made it imperative that changes be made to Medicare’s financing—or the cost burden will crush taxpayers, according to a new study by NCPA Senior Fellows Andrew J. Rettenmaier and Thomas R. Saving.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 12, 2016)—This week, AAHomecare submitted comments on the proposed demonstration to revise Part B Medicare prescription drug payments under the Agency’s Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI).
House Letter Airs Concerns About Medicare Part B Drug Payment Demo
Dozens of House members wrote to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Acting Administrator Andy Slavitt asking that the Medicare Part B drug payment demo program be withdrawn. (Mary Ellen McIntire/Morning Consult)
WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 4, 2016)—U.S. Senators Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., Mark Warner, D-Va., and Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, introduced bipartisan, budget-neutral legislation last week to ensure hospitals are fairly reimbursed for their services by the federal government so they are able to remain open and functioning, especially in underserved and economically struggling regions.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (April 28, 2016)—On April 21, CMS issued a proposed rule [CMS-1645-P] outlining proposed Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 Medicare payment rates and quality programs for skilled nursing facilities (SNFs). The FY 2017 proposals and other issues discussed in the proposed rule are summarized below.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (April 20, 2016)—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is pleased to offer the awardees in the Bundled Payments for Care Improvement (BPCI) initiative the opportunity to extend their participation in Models 2, 3 and 4 through September 30, 2018.
LENEXA, KAN. (April 14, 2016)—Mediware Information Systems, Inc. is hosting a free webinar for attendees on Wednesday, May 18, 2016, at 1:00 Central, 2:00 EST, to outline how providers can safeguard against payer audits as well as explain your legal obligations if you should discover a potential overpayment or underpayment from Medicare. The webinar is entitled “Responding to Payer Audits and Overpayments: Stay Compliant and within the Law.”
Dallas (April 12, 2016)—To keep Medicare’s spending in check, reform solutions may necessitate an increase in the share of senior health care paid for by the senior population, according to a new study by the National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA) Senior Fellows Andrew J. Rettenmaier and Thomas R. Saving.
SAN FRANCISCO (April 8, 2016)—WHILL, Inc. (WHILL) announced in March that it has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance on a new model that will be released in the coming months.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (April 5, 2016)—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the final Medicare Advantage and Part D Prescription Drug Program changes for 2017 that seek to provide stable payments to plans, and make improvements to the program for plans that provide high quality care to the most vulnerable enrollees.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 31, 2016)—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced last week it will test whether a new payment model for nursing facilities and practitioners will further reduce avoidable hospitalizations, lower combined Medicare and Medicaid spending and improve the quality of care received by nursing facility residents.
CHEYENNE, WYO. (March 28, 2016)—Home medical equipment providers from across Wyoming and parts of Colorado testified two weeks ago during the Small Business Administration’s Regulatory Fairness meeting.
During the event, seven providers shared their stories of how Medicare policies, particularly reimbursement cuts and extensive auditing, have affected Wyoming HME providers and the patients they serve.