Medicare Compliance & Reimbursement
ASC RATESETTING STILL STALLED
Ambulatory surgical centers now have an updated list of the procedures Medicare has approved for ASC facility fee payments - but they'll have to keep waiting for an overdue reworking of payment rates. In a final rule published in the March 28 Federal Register, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services updated the list of covered procedures for ASCs effective July 1, 2003. The list includes both additions and deletions from CMS' 1998 proposed rule on the subject. But despite the fact that new payment rates were due, by statute, on the first of this year, CMS is still working on that ever-more complicated project. The delay could be good news for ASCs - and it could also herald increased competition with hospital outpatient departments. That's because CMS seems committed to making sure ASCs don't get shortchanged in comparison with hospital outpatient departments. Lesson Learned: Competition between hospital outpatient departments and ambulatory surgical centers is likely to heat up even more once CMS develops a ratesetting approach for ASCs. To see the rule, go to http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fedreg/a030328c.html.
Medicare Compliance & Reimbursement
- Budget:
SENATORS, PROVIDERS ARGUE AGAINST MEDICAID CUTS
Seventy-nine senators, led by Finance Committee chair Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and senior panel Democrat Max [...] - Reimbursement:
ROCKY REIMBURSEMENT ROAD AHEAD FOR PHYSICIANS, HOSPITALS
Physicians aren't getting much opportunity to celebrate this year's Medicare reimbursement increase. At a March [...] - HIPAA:
OCR OPENS DOOR TO PRIVACY COMPLAINTS
Health care organizations, take note: The HHS Office of Civil Rights March 20 laid out [...] - Home Health:
HOME HEALTH INDUSTRY GRAPPLES WITH SPENDING GROWTH FIGURES
Home care providers' efforts to secure reimbursement relief from Congress may have taken a hit [...] - DME:
FEDS MEAN BUSINESS ON TELEMARKETING RESTRICTIONS
Federal regulators are walking their talk when it comes to enforcing rules prohibiting durable medical [...] - Ambulances:
MEDICAL NECESSITY KEY IN AMBULANCE COMPLIANCE GUIDANCE
As health care fraud enforcement heats up for ambulance suppliers - especially at the state [...] - Hospitals:
WHISTLEBLOWER WINDFALL IN RECORD-BREAKING STARK CASE
A hospital employee who blew the whistle on alleged stark violations in a hospital-physician practice [...] - Hospitals:
CHARITABLE PROGRAMS CAN EVADE KICKBACK PERILS
Hospitals with a charitable mission have to take care that their efforts to help indigent [...] - DME:
DON'T BE TOO FORWARD WITH YOUR ADVANCES, OIG TELLS DMERCs
The check may be in the mail - but you might never see it anyway. [...] - Fraud & Abuse:
PAY A FINE, APPEAR ONLINE
Clash with the HHS Office of Inspector General and you could find yourself touted on [...] - Managed Care:
DUAL-ELIGIBLE BLUNDERS COMPLICATE MCO PAYMENTS
Florida managed Medicare companies were the lucky beneficiaries of a costly error by the Florida [...] - ASCs:
ASC RATESETTING STILL STALLED
Ambulatory surgical centers now have an updated list of the procedures Medicare has approved for [...] - Medicaid:
SUPREME COURT WILL HEAR TEXAS MEDICAID CASE
Did Texas waive its immunity under the federal constitution's 11th Amendment by entering into a [...] - BILL WATCH
The following House bill was introduced: H.R. 1422. A bill to amend title XVIII of [...] - REGISTER WATCH
Haven't been keeping up with the Federal Register? Missing a back issue? Here's your chance [...] - PROGRAM MEMO ROUNDUP
Medicare carriers will continue using existing policies on using statistical sampling to estimate provider overpayments, [...]
