The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is increasing the amount in controversy (AIC) threshold amounts for Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) hearings and judicial review under the Medicare appeals process for 2020. The CY 2020 AIC threshold amounts are: $170 for ALJ hearings (compared with $160 in 2019), and $1,670 for judicial review (up … Continue Reading
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued an “omnibus burden reduction” rule that finalizes a September 20, 2018 proposed rule intended to streamline various Medicare and Medicaid regulatory requirements, in alignment with the Administration’s “Patients over Paperwork” initiative. The omnibus regulation also finalizes a November 4, 2016 proposed rule on fire safety … Continue Reading
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has finalized changes to the discharge planning conditions of participation (CoPs) for hospitals (including long-term care hospitals (LTCHs) and inpatient rehabilitation hospitals (IRFs)), critical access hospitals (CAHs), and home health agencies (HHAs). CMS believes the rule, which implements statutory requirements under the Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation … Continue Reading
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued a final rule implementing the agency’s methodology for making statutory reductions to Medicaid disproportionate share hospital (DSH) allotments. The DSH allotment reductions apply to fiscal years (FY) 2020 through 2025, with a $4 billion reduction applicable in FY 2020 and an $8 billion reduction applicable in … Continue Reading
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has finalized Medicare acute inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) and long-term care hospital (LTCH) prospective payment system (PPS) rates and policies for fiscal year (FY) 2020, which begins October 1, 2019. Key provisions of the final rule are outlined below. IPPS Payment Update CMS projects total Medicare … Continue Reading
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has published its final rule to update the Medicare inpatient rehabilitation facility (IRF) prospective payment system (PPS) for fiscal year (FY) 2020. CMS expects IRF PPS payments to increase by $210 million – or 2.5% – relative to FY 2019 payments under the final rule, due to … Continue Reading
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will increase Medicare inpatient psychiatric facility (IPF) prospective payment system (PPS) payments by 1.5%, or $65 million, in fiscal year (FY) 2020 under a recently-published final rule. The final FY 2020 market basket increase is 2.9%, which is reduced by two statutory reductions for an IPF payment … Continue Reading
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is planning a potentially-significant overhaul of Medicare pricing rules for new items of durable medical equipment (DME), prosthetics, orthotics and supplies (DMEPOS) as part of its proposed annual DMEPOS policy update for calendar year (CY) 2020. The proposed rule also includes DMEPOS competitive bidding program (CBP) updates … Continue Reading
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has proposed updating Medicare end-stage renal disease (ESRD) prospective payment system (PPS) rates by 1.7% for calendar year 2020. This update reflects a proposed 2.1% market basket increase, partially offset by a -0.4% productivity adjustment. After application of a wage index budget-neutrality adjustment, the proposed CY 2020 … Continue Reading
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has published its final fiscal year (FY) 2020 Medicare hospice payment rule. CMS forecasts that the final rule will result in an estimated $520 million increase in FY 2020 payments to hospices due to the final hospice payment update percentage of 2.6%. The final FY 2020 hospice … Continue Reading
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has published its proposed Medicare physician fee schedule (PFS) rule for calendar year (CY) 2020. In addition to updating rates for physician services, CMS proposes changes to numerous other Medicare Part B policies. Highlights of the proposed rule include the following: The proposed 2020 conversion factor (CF) … Continue Reading
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has published its final rule updating the Medicare skilled nursing facility (SNF) prospective payment system (PPS) for fiscal year (FY) 2020, which begins October 1, 2019. CMS expects SNF PPS payments to increase by 2.4%, or $851 million, in FY 2020, down from the $887 million increase forecasted … Continue Reading
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has published its proposed Medicare Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) and Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) rates and policies for calendar year 2020. In addition to making annual updates to the OPPS and ASC payment systems, CMS includes a controversial proposal to require all hospitals to disclose payer-specific … Continue Reading
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has proposed simplifying and streamlining long-term care (LTC) facility rules and survey processes to “increase provider flexibility and reduce excessively burdensome regulations, while also allowing facilities to focus on providing high-quality healthcare to their residents.” In addition to numerous other provisions, CMS proposes the following changes that … Continue Reading
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has proposed rescinding current procedural standards that must be met for states to demonstrate that Medicaid fee-for-service (FFS) payments are sufficient to assure beneficiary access to covered services. As we previously reported, regulations adopted in 2015 require states to establish and periodically update access monitoring review plans … Continue Reading
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued the proposed calendar year (CY) 2020 update to Medicare home health prospective payment system (HH PPS) rates and policies. The proposed rule also would update transitional home infusion therapy rates for CY 2020 and institute permanent infusion therapy payment reforms beginning in CY 2021. With … Continue Reading
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has proposed a new Radiation Oncology (RO) innovation model (RO Model) to test whether prospective site neutral, episode-based payments for radiotherapy (RT) episodes of care would reduce Medicare expenditures while preserving or enhancing the quality of care for Medicare beneficiaries. Importantly, the RO Model would be mandatory … Continue Reading
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a draft guidance for state survey agencies on May 3, 2019, impacting hospitals that share space, staff, and/or services with another co-located hospital or health care entity. The draft builds on informally followed principles by CMS employees which emphasized that certain payment rules, like those for … Continue Reading
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued a final rule streamlining the process for Medicare Parts A and B claims appeals and for Medicare Part D coverage determination appeals in order to “reduce associated burden on providers, beneficiaries, and appeals adjudicators.” In particular, the final rule: Removes the requirement in Medicare Parts … Continue Reading
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is revoking the authority of states to “divert” certain Medicaid provider payments to a third party (rather than make the payment directly to the provider) to fund other costs on behalf of the provider “for benefits such as health insurance, skills training, and other benefits customary for … Continue Reading
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released its proposed rule to update the Medicare acute inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) and long-term care hospital (LTCH) prospective payment system (PPS) for fiscal year (FY) 2020. Notably, the proposed rule includes a number of provisions that aim to “unleash medical innovation” by expediting access … Continue Reading
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has proposed a 2.7% increase in Medicare hospice payment rates for fiscal year (FY) 2020, which the agency estimates would result in a $540 million increase in Medicare payments to hospices compared with 2019 levels. The annual update would be reduced by 2 percentage points for hospices that … Continue Reading
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is expanding the types of durable medical equipment (DME), prosthetic, orthotics, supplies (DMEPOS) that are subject to Medicare prior authorization requirements on the basis of being “frequently subject to unnecessary utilization.” Specifically, CMS announced that it is adding to the Required Prior Authorization List: Seven power wheelchair … Continue Reading
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released its 232-page proposed rule to update the Medicare skilled nursing facility (SNF) prospective payment system (PPS) for federal fiscal year (FY) 2020, which begins on October 1, 2019. Overall, CMS projects that SNF PPS payments would rise by $887 million under the proposed rule. Specifically, … Continue Reading
