Other HHS Developments

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The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) has released a revised Guide to Privacy and Security of Electronic Health Information. The guide is intended to help health care providers – especially those from smaller organizations – address federal health information privacy and security requirements in their practices. The new version…

On March 27, 2015, the Obama Administration released its National Action Plan for Combating Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria (NAP), a five-year, government-wide plan to address the spread of resistant bacteria. The main components of the strategy, which identifies roles for the public and private sectors, are as follows:

  1. Slow the emergence of resistant bacteria and prevent

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On March 25, 2015, CMS formally launched the Health Care Payment Learning and Action Network, a public-private partnership intended to support HHS’s goal of moving Medicare and the broader health industry from a fee-for-service model towards alternative payment models that emphasize value. According to CMS, more than 2,800 entities have registered to join the…

In 2013, CMS adopted an expedited administrative process to remove certain national coverage determinations (NCDs) older than 10 years since their most recent review. In December 2014, CMS removed seven NCDs under this process. On March 18, 2015, CMS proposed removing two more NCDs under this process, addressing coverage of Apheresis (therapeutic pheresis) and…

On February 2, 2015, the Obama Administration released its proposed federal budget for fiscal year (FY) 2016. The budget would impact all types of health care providers, health plans, and drug manufacturers if adopted as proposed – which is unlikely given Republican control of the House and Senate. Nevertheless, Congress can be expected to consider the Medicare and Medicaid savings proposals (many of which are carry-overs from prior budgets) during expected debate in the coming months on Medicare physician fee schedule (MPFS) reform legislation or during future budget negotiations. The following is a summary of the major Medicare, Medicaid, and related policy proposals contained in the FY 2016 budget proposal.
Continue Reading Obama Administration Releases FY 2016 Budget Proposal with Medicare/Medicaid Provisions

On January 30, 2015, the HHS Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) released a draft “Roadmap” to promote safe and secure exchange and use of electronic health information. The document “Connecting Health and Care for the Nation: A Shared Nationwide Interoperability Roadmap Version 1.0,” focuses on actions intended to…

Today HHS Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell announced ambitious plans to move from “volume to value in Medicare payments” by accelerating the share of Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) payments that are tied to quality and value and reimbursed through alternative payment models. The first goal in the initiative is for 30% of Medicare provider payments to be…

CMS has updated the Medicare Program Integrity Manual to clarify that providers and suppliers have 45 days to produce documents in response to a pre-payment review Additional Documentation Request (ADR) issued by a Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) or Zone Program Integrity Contractors (ZPIC). MAC and ZPIC reviewers are instructed not to grant extensions to providers…

CMS has announced that it has awarded the Region 5 Recovery Audit contract to Connolly, LLC (although the Government Accountability Office subsequently reported that a bid protest has been filed regarding this award). The purpose of this contract will be to identify improper Medicare payments for durable medical equipment (DME), orthotics, prosthetics, and supplies and…

The OIG recently assessed the appropriateness of claims submitted by providers for screening for, diagnosing, evaluating, or treating cataracts, wet age related macular degeneration (wet AMD), and glaucoma in 2012. The OIG estimates that Medicare paid $22 million for ophthalmology claims in 2012 that were potentially inappropriate, according to national and local coverage requirements, although…

CMS has announced that it is delaying until further notice enforcement of its regulations pertaining to health plan enumeration and use of the Health Plan Identifier (HPID) in HIPAA transactions, which were adopted in a September 5, 2012 final rule. This enforcement delay, which is effective October 31, 2014, applies to all HIPAA covered…

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) is launching the “Market R&D Pilot Challenge,” which will bring together health care organizations and innovative companies to test new health information technology products through pilot funding awards and facilitated matchmaking. Pilot proposals could be awarded in three domains: clinical environments (e.g.…

The OIG has issued a report on Medicare beneficiary copayment costs for outpatient services provided at critical access hospitals (CAH). Beneficiaries who receive services at CAHs pay Medicare coinsurance amounts based on CAH charges, in contrast to patients at acute care hospitals who are responsible for coinsurance amounts based on outpatient prospective payment system (OPPS)…

On October 29, 2014, the OMHA is hosting its second OMHA Medicare Appellant Forum. The meeting will update OMHA appellants on the status of OMHA operations and discuss OMHA and CMS initiatives designed to mitigate the Medicare appeals backlog at the OMHA-level of the administrative appeals process. The deadline for in-person registration is October 28,…

The HHS Office of Medicare Hearings and Appeals (OMHA) has announced the Settlement Conference Facilitation (SCF) program, a pilot alternate dispute resolution process designed to bring the appellant and CMS together to discuss the potential of a mutually-agreeable resolution to the claims appealed to an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) hearing. If a resolution is…