Survey Says Hospital Leaders Prioritize Community Pharmacy Expansion
A survey conducted by VytlOne shows nearly 75% of hospital leaders believe there is an urgent need to expand access to community pharmacy services

AMARILLO, Texas—New research has found that nearly three-quarters of hospital and pharmacy leaders say the urgency to address community gaps in pharmacy access has increased, and will continue to rise over the next three years. As hospitals focus to expand community-focused pharmacy services, their leaders are prioritizing chronic disease adherence, transitions of care and 340B optimization.

Medical Service Company Acquires Carle Medical Supply
The company partnership aims to support the home medical equipment patient discharge process

CHAMPAIGN, Illinois—Medical Service Company (MSC), a Cleveland, Ohio-based medical equipment provider, has acquired Carle Medical Supply, a medical equipment and services provider and division of Carle Health.

Founded in 1950, MSC is a family-owned and -operated company that aims to support discharge planning services for partnering hospitals and patients.

OIG Audit Finds $190M in Improper Medicare Payments
The audit sought to determine whether Medicare payments to acute-care hospitals met Medicare requirements

WASHINGTON—The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) conducted an audit to determine whether Medicare Part B properly paid for durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics and supplies to hospice enrollees from the time period of 2017 through 2021. This audit took place in order to follow up on a prior OIG audit, which found Medicare Part B improperly paid suppliers for such supplies.

CMS Permits Outpatient Services in the Home

WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 5, 2020)—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) most recent COVID-19 Interim Final Rule with Comment (IFC) provides flexibility for hospital outpatient departments (HOPD) to provide services to their patients to their home. During the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE), a patient’s home may be considered an off-site location of a hospital department. Only registered outpatients may receive services in the home by the HOPD.