Medicare Compliance & Reimbursement
Bidding Rule Coming Out 'Very Soon,' CMS Promises
Durable medical equipment suppliers soon will see the shape of things to come under competitive bidding.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will issue its proposed rule on competitive bidding "very soon," promised Laurence Wilson, director of CMS' Chronic Care Policy Group, in a March 27 session at the National Association for Home Care & Hospice's annual policy conference in Washington, DC.
The competitive bidding model "is a big change for Medicare," Wilson notes. The bidding rule will lay out the processes for bidding and pricing of bid items, Wilson says. The rule will also include "details and concepts" behind the bidding process.
The Medicare Modernization Act requires bidding to begin in 10 Metropolitan Statistical Areas in 2007, but not every MSA will necessarily bid on the same items, Wilson says. CMS has some discretion in what items are up for bid in which MSAs.
But with the proposed rule coming so close to the 2007 deadline, observers wonder whether bidding will really start on time.
Medicare Compliance & Reimbursement
- HEALTH PLANS:
Streamline Part D Turnaround Time To Head Off Potential Regulatory Changes
Most EHR systems fall to track revisions' sources, study shows.
Lagging Medicare Part D drug reimbursements [...] - PART D:
CMS Mulling Pharmacist Payment Adjustments To Shore Up Drug Benefit
Industry consolidation may narrow Medicare drug benefit to fewer plans next year.
News reports have highlighted [...] - P4P:
Home Care Not An Exception For P4P Shift
CMS plans to launch a P4P demo for the home care industry--soon.
Providers can't just ignore [...] - CONSULTATIONS:
OIG Initiates A New Crackdown On Consult Billing
Three out of four consults billed incorrectly, OIG says.
Consults look like a juicy target to [...] - COMPETITIVE BIDDING:
Bidding Rule Coming Out 'Very Soon,' CMS Promises
Bid items may vary for different bid areas.
Durable medical equipment suppliers soon will see the [...] - THERAPY:
HHAs Should Hold Off On Expedited Determination Notices For Part B Therapy
They can't reach for HHABNs either.
Home health providers can avoid unnecessary extra work if they [...] - NURSING HOMES:
RUG Software Could Be Costing LTC Facilities Thousands
Software snags may drag down nursing homes' per diems.
Without naming names, the Centers for Medicare [...] - BUDGET:
Senate, House Budget Committees Pass Budget Resolutions
Republican struggle could mean bad news for Medicare.
On March 16, the Senate passed the budget [...] - INDUSTRY NOTES:
Feds May Look Into Podiatrists' Nail Debridement, Chiropractors' Services
Plus: OIG offers opinion on physician's office housing a DME supplier.
Medicare could save $285 million [...]
