OTHER RESPIRATORY SYSTEM DIAGNOSES WITH MCC DRG Code 205

Tip: Update compliance checklists to ensure your agency meets deadlines. With the new Nondiscrimination in Health Programs and Activities final rule taking effect on July 5, home health and hospice agencies have no time to waste when it comes to [...]

Final rule follows through on proposed increases to GIP, CHC, and IRC. Providers that mostly furnish Routine Home Care or GIP in other facilities are getting the bad end of the deal in Medicare’s payment rebalancing between care levels. Why? [...]

Which category will you fall into? As of Oct. 1, Medicare will pay significantly more for advanced levels of care and less for Routine Home Care days — and that may drastically change the financial picture for the majority of [...]

Tip: Look at your GIP contracts closely for a break. Hospices that furnish mostly Routine Home Care visits will see a drop in payment next year, if a new proposed rule is finalized. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services [...]

So-called ‘budget-neutral’ rebalancing will really mean a cut to hospice pay. After years of criticizing that Routine Home Care visits are overpaid, Medicare is doing something about it — and it will cost hospices. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid [...]

Medicare expects rural New England hospices to see a 3.4 percent positive impact. If you made budget plans based on Medicare’s proposed rule for 2019 hospice payment, they should be right on target. In the 2019 final rule released Aug. [...]

Medicare holds fast to its volatile wage index methodology. If you made budget plans based on Medicare’s proposed rule for 2019 hospice payment, they should be right on target. In the 2019 final rule released Aug. 1, the Centers for [...]

Don't write down next year's budget in pen yet. Depending on whether you see the glass half full or half empty, Medicare's modest pay increase proposal for next year is either better than a rate freeze or not nearly enough [...]

Watch out: Reducing RHC rates with rebalancing is still on CMS's future agenda. Starting in October, you'll have a bit more money to meet your many obligations. The Centers for Medicare & Medicare Services has proposed a 1.8 percent increase [...]

Secure your practice’s compliance plan to ensure audit success. Between Medicare, Medicaid, and HIPAA, auditors are stepping up their reviews of medical practices nationwide, prompting pulmonology practices to remain vigilant and button up their documentation and recordkeeping. If you’d like [...]