CMS’ Fourth COVID-19 Interim Final Rule with Comment Period (IFC-4) includes additional payment for new COVID-19 treatments, price transparency requirements for COVID-19 diagnostic tests, and coverage for potential vaccines among other provisions. Most provisions of IFC-4 became effective November 2. Hospital Payment for New COVID-19 Treatments The New COVID-19 Treatments Add-on Payment (NCTAP) will provide additional Medicare […]
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is laying the groundwork for the widespread release of a COVID-19 coronavirus vaccine by releasing an interim final rule with comment period (IFC) with information on out-of-pocket patient costs and physician reimbursements. According to a news release, any vaccine which is authorized by the U.S. Food and […]
In today’s healthcare industry today, there is a lot of buzz and hype surrounding automation. Large healthcare networks, medical facilities, and revenue cycle management service providers alike are looking to achieve a more efficient, robust revenue cycle through automation technologies. Any technology that can free employees to focus on high-value tasks and make revenue cycle […]
A long-awaited and controversial final rule on healthcare price transparency was released Thursday by the federal government. The rule, mandated under a June 2019 executive order by President Donald Trump, requires private group health plans and individual health insurance market plans to disclose pricing and cost-sharing information in a consumer-friendly format. The mandate, which takes effect on January […]
A new interim final rule with comment period ensures Medicare reimbursement for the administration of a COVID-19 vaccine and provider use of innovative treatments for the novel coronavirus. The rule released last night states that Medicare will pay providers $28.39 for the administration of a single-dose COVID-19 vaccine. In the event an approved COVID-19 vaccine requires multiple […]
CMS recently added 11 new services to the Medicare telehealth services list, qualifying the services for Medicare reimbursement through the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE). The new telehealth services cover some cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation services, as well as certain neurostimulator analysis and programming services. The additions to the Medicare telehealth list were made in […]
Practices have been creative during COVID-19 to ensure safe patient access: Telephone visits. Curbside immunizations. Drive-up virus testing. Even checking patients in for their in-office visits while they wait in the car. However, each of these scenarios poses one significant challenge: Collecting copayments and coinsurance. “With COVID-19, you’ve got to find ways to meaningfully engage […]
Clinicians who served more patients with social risk factors such as low income performed worse in the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System’s inaugural payment year, and therefore, received unfavorable value-based reimbursement, according to a new study. The study recently published in Health Affairs found that out of 510,020 clinicians participating in the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) in […]
As RPA’s value for revenue cycle continues to be explored, leaders need to go beyond the hype and determine a practical path to innovation that takes into account the organization’s capacity for innovation and the road map that will best take the organization to its desired digital destination. A recent survey shows 15% of healthcare revenue cycle […]
The COVID-19 pandemic has proven that fast, meaningful change is both possible and necessary for healthcare revenue cycles to keep up with a changing world. But to make truly meaningful change within the revenue cycle, the industry will need to embrace even more changes, such as payer partnerships, greater automation, and standardization across payers. Payer-provider […]










