It’s autumn, and along with leaves changing color, pumpkin spice lattes, and cooler weather comes an avalanche of TV ads, commercials, and telephone marketing calls, all entreating us to believe that Medicare Advantage (MA) is the best thing since the invention of the cell phone. With open enrolment season upon us, it’s critical to examine […]
Finally, Halloween is here. Halloween is a wonderful day with spooky stories, candies, and costumes. The celebration makes Kids and others who will dress up as their favorite characters and visit their friends or family’s doors for trick-and treating for Halloween. However, this celebration can lead to scary accidents and injuries. Here are a few […]
Did you know that tetanus vaccines are covered under Medicare Part B only when administered for treatment purposes? Preventive tetanus vaccinations do not fall under coverage. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Internet-Only Manuals Pub. 100-02, Chapter 15, Section 50.4.4.2 clarifies, “Vaccinations or inoculations are excluded as immunizations unless they are directly related to […]
The American Medical Association (AMA) says the 2023 CPT code updates emphasize its efforts to reduce administrative tasks. The AMA released the calendar year 2023 CPT code set, which builds on the AMA’s efforts to reduce administrative tasks in medicine, according to a recent press release. The CPT code update contains 393 changes, including 225 […]
Among the changes are a new code for reporting prolonged services in the inpatient or observation setting and significant guideline revisions. The American Medical Association (AMA) recently announced major revisions to Evaluation and Management (E&M) Services, effective Jan. 1, 2023. The E&M categories that will undergo revision in 2023 include inpatient and observation care services, […]
Hospitals are ramping up recruitment and retention strategies as they navigate ongoing workforce shortages and rising expenses. A majority of hospital leaders have increased starting salaries and introduced signing bonuses to attract new employees. The 2022 Healthcare Performance Improvement Report, based on responses from 86 hospital and health system leaders across the U.S., highlights the […]
Pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) tend to dominate state and local markets where they provide services to commercial health insurers across the United States. That could mean patients are stuck with higher prescription drug prices, according to new research published by the American Medical Association (AMA). The Policy Research Perspective report, “Competition in Commercial PBM Markets […]
Using telemedicine for primary care during the COVID-19 pandemic did not hurt quality of care for patients, according to a new study. Researchers examined 16 measures of primary care quality and found patients using telemedicine had outcomes as good or better than those making in-office visits, according to the study published in JAMA Network Open. […]
Dozens of additions, deletions, and revisions are effective Oct. 1, 2022. The October 2022 update to the HCPCS Level II code file from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) includes more than 40 changes, and most of them are new codes. The changes are effective Oct. 1, 2022, with a few important exceptions. […]
The October 2022 update to the ASC Payment System brings new codes, payment indicator changes, and corrected drug payments. Fourth quarter updates to the Ambulatory Surgical Center payment system (ASC PS), effective Oct. 1, 2022, include a new device pass-through code, new HCPCS Level II codes for drugs and biologicals, and new low-cost and high-cost […]