Category: Revenue Cycle Management

How The Affordable Care Act Impacted Small Group Coverage Trends

How The Affordable Care Act Impacted Small Group Coverage Trends

Small group coverage did not pursue the trends that many experts anticipated after the Affordable Care Act went into effect. From 2013 to 2020, small group coverage has maintained a fairly stable environment, researchers from the Urban Institute found. The researchers used the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Insurance Component (MEPS-IC) in order to assess changes […]
Study examines differences in coverage denials for traditional Medicare, MA

Study examines differences in coverage denials for traditional Medicare, MA

Traditional Medicare coverage rules make up the bulk of denied services and spending compared to a Medicare Advantage plan, according to a new study in the latest Health Affairs issue. The study, led by the University of Pennsylvania, Harvard University and CVS Health, relied on Medicare Advantage claims that were denied for beneficiaries enrolled with […]
CMS Updates Affordable Care Act, Public Payer Enrollment Numbers

CMS Updates Affordable Care Act, Public Payer Enrollment Numbers

Affordable Care Act enrollment for 2022 and public payer enrollment midway through 2021 saw some record-breaking surges. In 2020 and 2021, public payer and Affordable Care Act marketplaces experienced major disruptions and changes that continue to have ripple effects. The year that the pandemic struck, Medicaid and CHIP enrollment escalated for the first time in […]
Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule for Calendar Year 2022 – CMS Cuts Rates and Extends Telehealth

Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule for Calendar Year 2022 – CMS Cuts Rates and Extends Telehealth

On November 2, 2021, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) issued its Calendar Year (CY) 2022 Physician Fee Schedule (“PFS”) Final Rule. In this post, we sample some key highlights from the Final Rule. For more detail, take a look at our previous post, in which we highlight the PFS’s changes to the […]
The 2022 OPPS/ASC Final Rule Finalizes 2% Boost in Payment Rates

The 2022 OPPS/ASC Final Rule Finalizes 2% Boost in Payment Rates

CMS dramatically increases financial penalties for noncompliance with hospital price transparency rules. On Nov. 2, 2021, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the calendar year (CY) 2022 Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) and Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) Payment System final rule, finalizing payment rates and policy changes affecting Medicare services furnished […]
The Mississippi’s Medicaid Expansion Could Reduce State Medicaid Spending

The Mississippi’s Medicaid Expansion Could Reduce State Medicaid Spending

  Mississippi’s Medicaid program ranks poorly for its access to and quality of care, but Medicaid expansion could increase healthcare coverage along with lowering state Medicaid spending. Mississippi could achieve lower state Medicaid spending over the course of five years by expanding its Medicaid program with the American Rescue Plan boost to federal matching, a […]
Telehealth use in Medicare increased 63-fold last year with behavioural health increasing the most

Telehealth use in Medicare increased 63-fold last year with behavioural health increasing the most

The number of beneficiaries in traditional Medicare using telehealth exploded 63-fold in 2020 from 840,000 in 2019 to nearly 52.7 million, a new study found. The study, released Friday (PDF) by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), comes as advocates are pressing to make key flexibilities the federal government enabled at the start […]
Medicare Advantage Plans and the Two-Midnight Rule

Medicare Advantage Plans and the Two-Midnight Rule

Medicare Advantage plans hold up their end of the contract with CMS, and provide, at a minimum, a fair reimbursement for services delivered. The physician advisor is a fast-growing specialty that has evolved into so much more than someone who performs endless chart reviews for observation status determinations, medical necessity reviews, peer-to-peer conversations with payors, […]