Tag: Healthcare Services

CMS Updates HCPCS Level II for Q2

CMS Updates HCPCS Level II for Q2

Medical Coding Updates and Insights Unveiled Effective April 1, 2022, the HCPCS Level II code set, which is employed to record medical services and provisions, will encompass the integration of 37 novel codes. Furthermore, the second quarter revision encompasses the elimination of five codes and a refinement of the description for one modifier. Lay Terms […]
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Medicare Advantage Plans Boost Supplemental Benefits Offerings

Medicare Advantage Plans Boost Supplemental Benefits Offerings

Medicare Advantage plans expanded their supplemental benefits offerings in 2022, with more health plans offering special supplemental benefits for the chronically ill (SSBCI), according to an issue brief commissioned by Better Medicare Alliance. Medicare beneficiaries typically join Medicare Advantage plans because of the array of supplemental benefits that the program offers in addition to traditional […]
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National Healthcare Spending, Prices Saw Modest Increase in 2021

National healthcare spending increased by 3.4 percent in 2021, while the Health Care Price Index (HCPI) maintained a year-over-year growth of around 2 percent, according to Altarum’s February 2022 Health Sector Economic Indicators (HSEI) briefs. Unlike the December 2021 and January 2022 briefs, Altarum included federal government expenditures in the February data, which significantly impacted […]
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California lawmakers introduce bill to mandate vaccinations in workplaces

California lawmakers introduce bill to mandate vaccinations in workplaces

The bill comes in the wake of a U.S. Supreme Court decision blocking President Biden’s nationwide vaccine mandate for large employers. A group of California lawmakers, led by District 15 Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, have introduced a bill proposing that all businesses in the state mandate COVID-19 vaccinations for their employees. Assembly Bill 1993 would require […]
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Survey finds just 14% of hospitals are compliant with price transparency

Survey finds just 14% of hospitals are compliant with price transparency

The biggest noncompliance was non-posting or incomplete posting of all of the negotiated prices for each item and service. In a federal price transparency rule that took effect January 1, 2021, hospitals were tasked with posting all of their prices online in clear, easily accessible formats. But a new survey from patientrightsadvocate.org has found that, […]
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Append Modifier FT for Unrelated Critical Care Services

Append Modifier FT for Unrelated Critical Care Services

On Jan. 14, coders and billers gained insight into proper use of novel HCPCS Level II modifier FT Unrelated evaluation and management (e/m) visit during a postoperative period, or on the same day as a procedure or another e/m visit. (report when an e/m visit is furnished within the global period but is unrelated, or […]
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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 […]
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How Population Health, Risk Stratification Support Value-Based Care

How Population Health, Risk Stratification Support Value-Based Care

To excel in value-based care, providers must lean on strategies for managing population health and skillful risk stratification. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, organizations observed the ramifications of fee-for-service, leading to communication and revenue challenges for both providers and patients. While value-based care is not a novel idea, the pandemic greatly accelerated the adoption of this […]
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In-Network, Complex COVID-19 Hospitalizations Cost More Than $128K

In-Network, Complex COVID-19 Hospitalizations Cost More Than $128K

COVID-19 hospitalization costs varied by state, with the highest in-network cost averaging $128,650. According to a new FAIR Health study, COVID-19 hospitalization cost varies by state, with complex hospitalizations for COVID-19 in-network average cost maxing out at $128,650. “Behind the numbers of our COVID-19 Cost Tracker are the individuals who have contracted COVID-19. As a […]
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