In November 2021, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) issued the Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule (“Final Rule”) which includes several telehealth policy updates that will go into effect in calendar year 2022.1 As a result of the COVID-19 public health emergency (“PHE”), CMS expanded the availability of telehealth through the use of […]
New data from LAN shows modest progress with value-based reimbursement adoption in 2019 and 2020. But some programs, like Medicare Advantage, are moving to financial risk faster than others. Most healthcare payments made in 2020 were tied in some way to value or quality of care, according to the latest data from the Health 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 […]
Here are the six best reimbursement stories from 2021 HealthLeaders’ coverage and beyond. COVID-19 continued to impact healthcare reimbursement as the pandemic entered its second year. Yet, what’s different is that longer-term strategies and new business opportunities are emerging beyond crisis response. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) aided these plans by […]
Taya Moheiser, CMPE, CMOM, owner of ITS Healthcare, and Kem Tolliver, CMPE, CPC, CMOM, president of Medical Revenue Cycle Specialists to share the top trends they’re following right now. KEY TAKEAWAYS Mental health billing will continue to evolve. Billing directly to Medicare for physician assistants will take center stage. Be sure to educate your […]
The news coincided with the sudden worldwide emergence of the new omicron COVID-19 variant. An influx of cash couldn’t have come at a better time for the nation’s rural healthcare system. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) last week announced that the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has begun distributing $7.5 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 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, […]