More than 400 healthcare finance leaders reported having revenue cycle workforce shortages, with almost 20 percent seeing 30 or more vacancies. Healthcare finance leaders are experiencing revenue cycle workforce shortages, with one in four reporting that they need to hire more than 20 employees to fully staff their department, according to a survey commissioned by […]
Payment integrity in Medicaid—the concerted effort to keep tight control over fraud, waste and abuse—can be addressed at any stage in the claim cycle. Of course, the earlier it is addressed, the easier it is for health plans to avoid improper payments and the administrative burden of recovering them. And while pre-payment integrity programs maximize […]
On April 29, 2022, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”), issued the final rule on Contract Year 2023 Policy and Technical Changes to the Medicare Advantage and Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Programs (the “Final Rule”). CMS promotes the Final Rule as advancing “CMS’ strategic vision of expanding access to affordable health care […]
A focus on front-end revenue cycle efficiency can help to avoid costly medical necessity denials. KEY TAKEAWAYS Four words often describe the efforts to prevent denials related to medical necessity: too little, too late. Mistakes are made early in the patient’s hospital stay, and these mistakes lead to problems down the road. What remains constant […]
The HIPAA Security Rule requires covered entities and business associates to implement technical, physical, and administrative safeguards. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) required the HHS secretary to develop rules for safeguarding electronic protected health information (ePHI). Out of these requirements, HHS created the HIPAA Privacy Rule and the HIPAA Security […]
CMS released the fiscal year (FY) 2023 inpatient prospective payment system proposed rule with proposals for new calculations for FY 2023 rate setting. Although CMS is proposing to use FY 2021 data for FY 2023 Medicare Severity Diagnosis-Related Groups (MS-DRG) rate setting, the agency wants a modified methodology to account for the historical and potential […]
CMS issued its annual Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) and Long-Term Care Hospital (LTCH) Prospective Payment System Proposed Rule for FY 2023 (the Proposed Rule). In the Proposed Rule, CMS proposes to update the IPPS and LTCH payment rates, modify the payment rules for direct graduate medical education (DGME) to comply with a recent […]
The COVID-19 pandemic has taught us it’s possible for the health care system to transform care delivery—and quickly. We saw vaccines come to market in record time, heightened cross-industry collaboration to track vaccine statuses, and virtual care use surge. Similarly, the pandemic demonstrated that value-based care delivery models, where payment is based on outcomes versus […]
Coming soon is the possible end of the PHE. Will it be extended? How does the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022 impact the PHE, and where does telehealth fit into all of this? The COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) is slated to end this week on Thursday, April 14. But the signs are pointing […]
CMS is following a budget-neutral approach by implementing a permanent cap on negative wage index changes to smooth yearly payment impacts. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has issued a proposed rule updating hospice-based payments and the aggregate cap amount for fiscal year 2023. Hospices would see a 2.7%, or $580 million, increase in […]










