The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is inviting suggestions for how it can eliminate Medicare regulations that (1) impose more stringent supervision requirements than existing state scope of practice laws, or (2) restrict health professionals from practicing at the top of their license. This comment solicitation, which is part of the Administration’s “Patients … Continue Reading
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has published its final Medicare physician fee schedule (PFS) rule for calendar year (CY) 2020. In addition to updating rates for physician services, the final rule revises numerous other Medicare Part B policies. Highlights of the final rule include the following: The final 2020 conversion factor is $36.0896, up slightly from … 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 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
Representatives Jackie Speier (D-California) and Dina Titus (D-Nevada) have introduced HR 2143, the Promoting Integrity in Medicare Act of 2019 (PIMA), which – if enacted – would narrow the “Stark” law’s exceptions and have a direct impact on the services provided by physicians who self-refer for the performance of certain designated health services. The 2019 … Continue Reading
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued new guidance on what date of service (DOS) should be billed for various Medicare Part B services. For radiology services, CMS offers the option of reporting the DOS of either the date when the radiology study was performed on the patient or the date of … Continue Reading
In a transmittal issued last week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) extended newly-revised supervision rules for certain diagnostic tests paid via the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) to services paid under the Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) for hospital outpatient departments. The transmittal relates to services performed by a registered radiologist assistant who … Continue Reading
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued its proposed Medicare physician fee schedule (PFS) rule for calendar year (CY) 2019. In addition to updating rates for physician services, the sweeping rule proposes changes to numerous other Medicare Part B policies. Highlights of the proposed rule include the following: CMS proposes a 2019 … Continue Reading
Delays AUC Requirement until 2020, Cuts Off-Campus Hospital Department Payments The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has published its final Medicare physician fee schedule (PFS) rule for CY 2018. In addition to updating rates for 2018, the rule includes important policy changes, including an additional delay in implementation of appropriate use criteria (AUC) … Continue Reading
CMS has published its proposed rule to update Medicare Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) and Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) payment system rates and policies for calendar year (CY) 2018. In addition to proposing rate updates for the two payment systems, CMS solicits comments on a wide range of topics, including, among others: deep OPPS … Continue Reading
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is out with the latest installment of its “High-Risk Series,” which identifies federal programs “that are especially vulnerable to waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement, or that need transformative change.” Once again, GAO flags Medicare and Medicaid as high-risk programs. With regard to Medicare, GAO notes that while Congress, HHS, and … Continue Reading
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued its final Medicare physician fee schedule (MPFS) for calendar year (CY) 2017. In addition to updating MPFS rates and policies, the final rule makes numerous other Medicare policy changes, including updates to Stark Law regulations related to unit-based compensation and new enrollment requirements for providers and … Continue Reading
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has published its proposed rule to update the Medicare physician fee schedule (MPFS) for calendar year (CY) 2017. The proposed rule contains numerous Medicare payment and policy proposals, including consideration of potentially misvalued codes, revisions to diagnostic imaging policies, updates to Stark Law regulations, and new enrollment … Continue Reading
CMS has published its proposed rule to update the Medicare Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) and the Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) Payment System rates and policies for CY 2017. CMS proposes a 1.55% OPPS update, reflecting a 2.8% market basket increase, which is partly offset by a -0.5% multifactor productivity (MFP) adjustment and an … Continue Reading
On December 18, 2015, President Obama signed into law the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2015, which includes a wide range of government spending and tax provisions. As previously reported, the Act includes the following Medicare and Medicaid provisions:… Continue Reading
On December 15, 2015, Congressional leaders released sweeping spending and tax proposals, including a number of provisions impacting Medicare and the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The legislation is being considered on a fast track; the House approved the tax component of the package today, and it is scheduled to vote on the appropriations bill tomorrow, with … Continue Reading
Today the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published the final rule to update the Medicare physician fee schedule (MPFS) for calendar year (CY) 2016. Despite the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) establishing a 0.5% conversion factor (CF) update for 2016, the final 2016 CF of $35.8279 actually is a decrease … Continue Reading
On September 30, 2015, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report entitled “Medicare: Considerations for Expansion of the Appropriate Use Criteria Program.” In addition to describing CMS’s plans for implementing the imaging Appropriate Use Criteria (AUC) program, the GAO provides examples of non-imaging services deemed “questionable- or low-value” by researchers and for which provider-led … Continue Reading
On July 15, 2015, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published its proposed rule to update the Medicare physician fee schedule (MPFS) for CY 2016 – the first rulemaking since the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) repealed the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula. Under the proposed rule, the 2016 … Continue Reading
On July 8, 2015, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published its proposed rule to update the Medicare Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) and the Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) Payment System rates and policies for calendar year (CY) 2016. Perhaps most notably, CMS is proposing a -0.1% OPPS update for 2016, driven … Continue Reading
Today the House Energy and Commerce Committee approved H.R. 6, the “21st Century Cures Act,” by a bipartisan, unanimous 51-0 vote. This major legislation is intended to accelerate the pace of medical cures in the United States through a variety of reforms addressing drug and device development and approval, clinical trial design, research funding, interoperability … Continue Reading
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 … Continue Reading
The GAO recently examined “self-referral” for outpatient physical therapy (PT) services, which the GAO defines as a provider referring patients to entities in which the provider or the provider’s family members have a financial interest. According to the GAO, non-self-referred PT services per 1,000 Medicare FFS beneficiaries increased by 41% from 2004 to 2010, while the … Continue Reading
On May 12, 2014, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published a final rule that reforms federal health policy regulations that CMS has identified as unnecessary, obsolete, or excessively burdensome on health care providers and suppliers. The rule also is intended to eliminate or reduce requirements that impede quality patient care or that … Continue Reading
