AAPC’s senior VP of products answers your questions about coding for office and other outpatient services. Ever since the release of the new 2021 evaluation and management (E/M) guidelines for office and other outpatient services, AAPC has been conducting numerous trainings through webinars, virtual workshops, conference sessions, online courses, and multiple articles in Healthcare Business […]
The interim rule is in response to the No Surprises Act, which directed multiple US departments to issue a rule that would quell surprise billing in commercial health plans. The Biden administration has issued an interim rule that regulates surprise billing in commercial health plans and employer-sponsored health plans, CMS announced. “No patient should forgo […]
The final rule is an implementation of the No Surprises Act, which was passed by Congress last year. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued an interim final rule this week banning surprise medical bills and some out-of-network charges, which will go into effect on January 1, 2022 for providers and insurance […]
Stay on top of the latest in diagnosis coding by reviewing this chapter-by-chapter summary of the changes effective October 1. Highly anticipated, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the ICD-10-CM code descriptions, tables and index, and addendum for fiscal year 2022. Although still pending are the 2022 Official Guidelines for Coding and […]
It would lengthen the annual open enrollment period, expand the role of navigators and nix Trump-era guidelines for waivers that were criticized for allowing states to skirt coverage requirements. The Biden administration is planning to restore key parts of the Affordable Care Act that were pared back by the Trump administration as the current HHS […]
Dive Brief: CMS does not have adequate authority to ensure that hospitals will be ready for the next pandemic, and wasn’t able to regulate them well enough to know whether they were maintaining quality and safety during the COVID-19 crisis, according to a new HHS Office of Inspector General report. As COVID-19 first emerged […]
CMS has released a proposed rule for the Home Health Prospective Payment System in CY22, which aims to expand value-based purchasing and address health equity. CMS has released the proposed rule for the Home Health Prospective Payment System next year. The rule seeks to expand the Home Health Value-Based Purchasing (HHVBP) Model and address […]
New codes are effective Oct. 1, 2021. Highly anticipated, the fiscal year 2022 ICD-10-CM codes have been released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), although still pending are the 2022 Official Coding and Reporting Guidelines which were not included in the package of new codes. We are still waiting for the release […]
HHS recently extended the deadline to use COVID-19 relief funds to the end of the month, but some providers say they still need more time. The American Hospital Association (AHA) is seeking more time for healthcare providers with unspent COVID-19 relief funds. The deadline to use COVID-19 relief funds is approaching for many providers. According […]
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has paid over 5 million claims for COVID-19 vaccinations of uninsured Americans, according to a recent announcement. The claims were paid through the HRSA COVID-19 Claims Reimbursement to Health Care Providers and Facilities for Testing, Treatment, and Vaccine Administration for the Uninsured, a program funded by pandemic-related legislation […]