Medicare
WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 24, 2016)—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Office of Minority Health (CMS OMH) released a new interactive map to increase understanding of geographic disparities in chronic disease among Medicare beneficiaries.
OWINGS MILLS, Md. (March 14, 2016)—The Board of Certification/Accreditation (BOC) has won a Stevie Award for “E-Commerce Customer Service” in recognition of the organization’s innovative customer service support and social media efforts. BOC was awarded a Bronze Stevie Award.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 9, 2016)—The clock is ticking for the next round of cuts for providers in rural, non-bid areas: the July 1 cuts are just 2,719 hours away. In hopes of stemming these cuts before they cause further harm to providers and patients, AAHomecare has been working with Senator John Thune (R-S.D.) and Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.) to stop the second cut so Congress can thoroughly examine the impact CMS’s plan is having.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (February 24, 2016)—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released proposed changes for the Medicare Advantage and Part D Prescription Drug Programs in 2017 that will, if finalized, provide stable and fair payments to plans, and makes unprecedented improvements to the program for plans that provide high quality care to the most vulnerable enrollees.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (February 23, 2016)—As part of our efforts to improve care delivery, data sharing, and transparency, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is releasing two public data sets regarding the availability and use of services provided to Medicare beneficiaries by ground ambulance suppliers and home health agencies, as well as a list of Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) providers and suppliers currently approved to bill Medicare.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (February 18, 2016)—Today, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), as part of a broad Core Quality Measures Collaborative of health care system participants, released seven sets of clinical quality measures. These measures support multi-payer alignment, for the first time, on core measures primarily for physician quality programs.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (February 18, 2016—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has published a final rule that requires Medicare Parts A and B health care providers and suppliers to report and return overpayments by the later of the date that is 60 days after the date an overpayment was identified, or the due date of any corresponding cost report, if applicable.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (February 10, 2016)—The Department of Health and Human Services released Tuesday new information that shows that millions of seniors and people with disabilities with Medicare continue to save on prescription drugs and see improved benefits in 2015 as a result of the Affordable Care Act.
SAN DIEGO (February 3, 2016) A study showing significant, measurable efficiency gains when using the automated messaging capabilities of ResMed’s U-Sleep patient management solution was published this month in Sleep and Breathing, international journal of the science and practice of sleep medicine.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (January 27, 2016)—Today, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Office of Minority Health (CMS OMH), released a new Guide to Preventing Readmissions among Racially and Ethnically Diverse Medicare Beneficiaries.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (January 27, 2016)—Since the start of the New Year, AAHomecare leadership has taken part in numerous discussions with leading companies and associations in the HME sector to map out strategy to get relief for companies in rural areas, as well as those in other non-bid areas, now subject to Medicare competitive bidding-derived pricing.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (January 4, 2016)—CMS Tuesday issued a final rule, “Medicare Program: Prior Authorization Process for Certain Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies,” that would establish a prior authorization process for certain DMEPOS items that they cite as frequently subject to unnecessary utilization.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (December 18, 2015)—Under a rare procedure to get a bill quickly considered by Congress, the The Patient Access and Medicare Protection Act (S. 2425) was passed by both the Senate and House today.
Congress Gives Big Funding Boost to NIH
This was one of the rare years when Obama and lawmakers from both parties all agreed on the need for more medical research funding. (David Nather and Dylan Scott/Stat News)
WASHINGTON, D.C. (December 2, 2015)—In 2014, per-capita health care spending grew by 4.5 percent and overall health spending grew by 5.3 percent, a study by the Office of the Actuary at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published today as a Web First by Health Affairs. Those rates are below most years prior to passage of the Affordable Care Act.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 28, 2015)—The Hospital Value-Based Purchasing (VBP) Program adjusts what CMS pays hospitals under the Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) based on the quality of care they give patients.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 29, 2015)—Today, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed to revise the discharge planning requirements that hospitals, including long-term care hospitals and inpatient rehabilitation facilities, critical access hospitals, and home health agencies, must meet in order to participate in the Medicare and Medicaid programs.
WASHINGTON D.C. (October 30, 2015)—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued final rules this week detailing how the agency will pay for services provided to beneficiaries in Medicare by physicians and other health care professionals in 2016 that reflects the administration’s commitment to quality, value, and patient-centered care.