Medicare Compliance & Reimbursement
PART A PROVIDERS OPTIMISTIC ON HIPAA TRANSACTION STANDARDS
Medicare Part A providers are generally confident that they'll be ready for the Oct. 16 zero hour for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act electronic data transaction standards. According to the HHS Office of Inspector General, 96 percent of Part A providers "have moderate to high expectations" that they'll be compliant by the deadline. Moreover, while less than 30 percent have begun testing, 90 percent have developed a testing strategy, according to "HIPAA Readiness: Administrative Simplification for Medicare Part A Providers" (OEI-09-02-00421). Indeed, the big worry for Part A providers isn't their own compliance readiness - it's that of their business partners. Payors' readiness - including Medicare contractors and/or the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services - was a frequently reported barrier to compliance, the OIG says. To see the report, go to http://oig.hhs.gov/oei/reports/oei-09-02-00421.pdf. Lesson Learned: Even HIPAA-savvy health care providers should be ready for the possibility that their payors won't be as up to speed on transaction and code set compliance as they are.
Medicare Compliance & Reimbursement
- Budget:
HELP FOR STATES, RURAL AREAS IN SENATE BILL
The tax bill passed by the Senate May 15 includes $20 billion in fiscal relief [...] - Hospitals:
INPATIENT RULE LOWERS HIGH-TECH THRESHOLD
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services says hospitals would get a 3.5-percent pay raise [...] - Medicare:
GAO: DEATH TO LOCAL COVERAGE PROCESS
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services should strip Medicare contractors of their authority to [...] - Rehab:
75-PERCENT RULE ENFORCEMENT LOOMS FOR IRFs
Rehab hospitals are in line for a 3.3-percent increase in their Medicare payments - but [...] - Medicaid:
MEDICAID REVISIONS STILL UP IN AIR ON HILL, AMONG GOVERNORS
The National Governors Association task force on Medicaid is a long way from consensus on [...] - Pharmaceuticals:
PRIVATE LABELING LEADS TO CRIMINAL FINES
The feds mean business when it comes to drug pricing improprieties. Case in point: A [...] - Hospitals:
19 DRGs ON PER-DIEM CHOPPING BLOCK
Hospitals have long grumbled over the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' post-acute transfer policy. [...] - Managed Care:
2004 M+C RATES LOW-BALL PLANS
Health plans aren't happy with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' 2004 Medicare+Choice payment [...] - Overpayments:
CONTRACTORS TOUT PAYMENT SAFEGUARD HAULS
Medicare contractors are boasting once again about the financial fallout from their medical review, fraud-fighting [...] - Kickbacks:
DEDUCTIBLE DEALS LEGAL BETWEEN HOSPITALS, MEDIGAP PLANS
Medigap insurers may be able to work deals with hospitals for cut rates on inpatient [...] - Help With HIPAA:
4 STEPS FOR HANDLING PRIVACY COMPLAINTS WITHOUT GETTING BURNED
Even if you have a top-notch privacy compliance program in place, you're bound to be [...] - HIPAA:
PART A PROVIDERS OPTIMISTIC ON HIPAA TRANSACTION STANDARDS
Medicare Part A providers are generally confident that they'll be ready for the Oct. 16 [...] - PROGRAM MEMO ROUNDUP
Skilled nursing facilities puzzled over Medicare policy for bill types 22x and 23x can take [...] - REGISTER WATCH
Skilled nursing facilities will see a 2.9 percent increase in their Medicare payments next year [...] - BILL WATCH
The following House bill was introduced: H.R. 2070. A bill to amend title XVIII of [...]
