Home Health & Hospice Week
New Appeals Penalties May Keep RACs In Check
Even though Recovery Audit Contractors are Medicare bounty hunters, a new appeals policy should keep them from getting overly aggressive with provider payments, the Government Accountability Office recently told Congress In the RAC demonstration project, RACs got paid on a contingency fee basis even if their recoupments were later repealed, the GAO said in a July 15 hearing before the subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, Federal Services, and International Security, Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. Now RACs' fees are taken back if a provider's appeal is successful at any level, the agency noted in prepared testimony. Resource: And some Medicare contractors are trying to make it easier to keep up with RAC information. Medicare Administrative Contractor National Government Services has added a RAC section to its website, it says. The site goes over information such as how to know when a RAC payment determination has been issued and what to do when you receive a RAC demand letter. The section is under the "Review Process" option at www.ngsmedicare.com.
Home Health & Hospice Week
- Prospective Payment System:
HHA Rates Slashed Nearly 5% In 2011 Proposed Rule
Cut for case mix creep shoots up, thanks in large part to therapy utilization changes. [...] - Regulations:
Face-To-Face Rule Brings New Round Of Physician Headaches
Doc must see patient 30 days before or two weeks after start of care -- and [...] - Reimbursement:
Prepare For New Therapy Requirements Under PPS Rule
PPS rule chock full of changes for HHAs. The U.S. Senate and the Securities and [...] - Hospice:
Medicare Rates To Increase 1.8% For Hospices
Hospices face their own face-to-face encounter requirement under HH PPS rule. Starting Oct. 1, your [...] - Industry Notes:
HHAs, Suppliers Top Medicare Improper Payment List
Agencies fail to document claims, CERT finds. Home care providers have an even larger target [...] - HEAT Force Arrests 94
When the Medicare Fraud Strike Force has a big day, it has a very big [...] - Pharmacy Makes Big HIPAA Settlement.
If you've been leaving HIPAA complianceon the back burner, there's a good reason to move [...] - Shareholders Dislike Therapy Investigations.
Publicly traded home care companies continue to fight the effects of an investigation into their [...] - CMS Sinks $2B Into Rebalancing Toward Home
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is putting another $2.25 billion toward keeping Medicare [...] - New Appeals Penalties May Keep RACs In Check
Even though Recovery Audit Contractors are Medicare bounty hunters, a new appeals policy should keep [...] - Rural Add-On Creates Pricer Complications
The two PC Pricers CMS issued for HHAs in June were necessary due to the [...] - Will Your Injection Practices Stand Up To Scrutiny?
Safe injection practices will be a focus of your survey if you're accredited by the [...] - U.K #1 In End-Of-Life Care; U.S. Ranks #9 Of 30
The United Kingdom ranked number one in a new study gauging the quality of end-oflife [...] - New Point Of Origin Codes Confuse HHAs
You're going to have to use your judgment when deciding between new point of origin [...]
