Home Health & Hospice Week
MedPAC Makes HH, Hospice Cut Recommendations Official
Where’s the 2020 data? Harsh recommendations from an influential advisory body to Congress have hit the books. In its latest annual report to Congress released every March, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission tells lawmakers they should cut the Medicare home health payment rate by 5 percent, freeze the Medicare hospice payment rate, and cut the hospice aggregate cap amount by 20 percent. MedPAC commissioners unanimously approved the cuts and freeze in a January meeting, despite providers tackling the unprecedented-in-modern-times COVID-19 pandemic. The report cites high profit margins among the reasons for the tone deaf suggestions. The report conveniently doesn’t use 2020 data, points out Tom Boyd, CEO of Aftercare Nursing Services. “I don’t understand how MedPAC can justify a recommendation to cut Medicare payment rates by 5 percent,” protests Mark Sharp with BKD in Springfield, Missouri. “That kind of cut could be catastrophic for a large number of home health providers,” Sharp says in a statement shared with AAPC. “You could find some hospices really struggling without a market basket update in their payment rates,” Sharp says about the freeze. A link to the report is at http://medpac.gov.
Home Health & Hospice Week
- Reimbursement:
No-Pay RAPs Are Living Up To Bad Rep
From losing pay to pouring in more resources, the cons far outweigh the pros. Home [...] - Payment:
Submit A RAP For Your LUPA Episodes Every Time, Experts Urge
It’s too risky not to. Confusion abounds over how no-pay RAPs and LUPAs affect each [...] - Billing:
No-RAP Claims System Glitches Bedevil HHAs
Medicare system snafus compound RAP confusion. Medicare has been supplying just what home health agencies [...] - Regulations:
Rough No-Pay RAP Road Paves Way For Smooth NOA Transition Next Year
No-pay RAPs have a few more silver linings too. If you’re looking for some good [...] - Strategy:
Follow These 8 Crucial Tips To Improve Your No-Pay RAP Process
RAP submission within 24 hours is possible, billing expert maintains. No-pay RAPs can cost you [...] - Industry Notes:
MedPAC Makes HH, Hospice Cut Recommendations Official
Where’s the 2020 data? Harsh recommendations from an influential advisory body to Congress have hit [...] - Industry Notes:
ARPA Equips OIG With Funding To Drill Down On COVID Spending
As legal, reimbursement, and other experts comb through the massive American Rescue Plan Act, more [...] - Industry Notes:
2% Sequestration Cut Hangs In The Legislative Balance
Congress may circle back to furnish providers with one major provision that got left out [...] - Industry Notes:
OIG Updates COVID Portal
The HHS Office of Inspector General continues to get serious about COVID-19 fraud. The watchdog [...] - Industry Notes:
Don't Be Surprised To See Dashes In HQRP CASPER Reports
The demise of HIS Section O brings with it some changes to Hospice Quality Reporting [...] - Industry Notes:
Medicare Ups Vaccination Pay Rate
Medicare now pays providers more for COVID vaccine administration. Effective March 15, the Centers for [...]
