Posted
on February 22, 2012
While Congress recently “solved” the Medicare physician payment problem, its solution was only a temporary fix to a long-running challenge.
The latest solution will last only until the end of 2012, which means Congress will need to tackle the problem again in November, in its lame-duck session after the presidential election.
Why does this problem arise so frequently and why can’t it be solved once and for all? Kaiser Health News considers this and more in “FAQ: The ‘Doc Fix’ Dilemma,” which can he found here.
Posted
on February 22, 2012
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has unveiled its proposed guidance for Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D prescription drug plans for FY 2013.
Read CMS’s news release describing its proposals here and download the proposal itself here.
Posted
on February 21, 2012
A growing number of hospitals are requiring emergency room patients with non-emergency medical problems to pay upfront for their services, according to a report from Kaiser Health News.
Hospitals say this helps reduce ER waiting times and prevent unnecessary bad debt. Critics believe that once patients come to the hospital, they should not be turned away if they cannot afford the upfront payment.
While for-profit hospitals appear to be leading the way in using this approach, some non-profit hospitals are using it as well.
Learn more about this latest trend in hospital ER practice in this Kaiser Health News report.
Posted
on February 21, 2012
A federal court has ruled that Medicare must use dual eligible days in its calculation of hospitals’ Medicare disproportionate share (Medicare DSH) payments.
Read about the ruling and its implications in this report from the Ober|Kaler law firm
Posted
on February 16, 2012
After continued insistence that new ICD-10 medical coding would be implemented as scheduled, by October 1, 2013, federal officials now appear to be leaving the door open to delaying the new system’s launch.
Marilyn Tavenner, acting administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), has told a number of groups that her agency will re-examine its implementation schedule for the new coding system.
Read more about the issue and the challenges surrounding it in this Wall Street Journal article.
