Posts Tagged ‘Medicare’
ICD-10 implementation clock ticking
With the deadline for implementation of ICD-10 just five months away, a lot is being written about whether medical practices are prepared. As late as April 30, Rep. Ted Poe of Texas introduced a bill that would prohibit the Secretary of Health and Human Services from replacing ICD-9 with ICD-10 in implementing the HIPAA code…
Read MoreGAO: Government misspent billions on Medicare/Medicaid
Last year, Medicare financed health services for approximately 54 million elderly and disabled beneficiaries at a total cost of $603 billion. Of that, approximately $60 billion went toward improper payments, according to a report issued last week by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) Most of that misspent money, about $45.8 billion, went toward the Medicare…
Read MoreGAO: CMS ready for ICD-10, but are you?
There is good news for healthcare providers coming out of the Government Accountability Office: The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is prepared for the switch to ICD-10 on Oct. 1, according to a newly released report. The 41-page report notes that CMS has undertaken “a number of efforts†to prepare for transition to the…
Read MoreHHS: Medicare payments to be tied to quality, not quantity
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced this week that future Medicare payments will be linked to quality and not quantity. This is the first time the federal agency has set specific goals designed to move away from plans that reward providers for the amount of care they provide instead of the quality…
Read MoreCMS delays enforcement of Medicare Part D rule
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced that it is delaying enforcement of the requirements in 42 CFR § 423.120(c)(6) for the Medicare Advantage and prescription drug benefit (Medicare Part D) programs until Dec. 1, 2015. In May, CMS finalized (CMS-4159-F), a rule aimed at combating fraud and abuse in the Part D program.…
Read MoreHHS target of class action in Medicare appeals backlog fiasco
The ever-growing backlog of appeals at the Office of Medicare Hearings and Appeals for inpatient status claims has prompted the Center for Medicare Advocacy to file a nationwide class action lawsuit against the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services. The complaint, filed Aug. 26 U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut, alleges that,…
Read MoreHHS proposes new safe harbors
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has proposed a rule that would amend the safe harbors to the anti-kickback statute and the civil monetary penalty rules under the authority of the Office of Inspector General. The 94-page proposed rule, if adopted would add new safe harbors and codify civil monetary provisions for gain…
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