The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released 20 new proposed measures for quality and efficiency measures under consideration. CMS reviews and updates all quality measures annually for its programs, reviewing and removing less...CMS Rules
On Tuesday, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled that the Department of Health and Human Services may continue with the hospital price transparency rule on January 1. The American Hospital Association requested an injunction against the 2019 final rule that will require hospitals to make their standard...CMS Rules
Last Wednesday, a United States District Court judge issued an injunction against the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Most Favored Nation drug pricing model for 14 days. The demonstration was set to begin on January 1, but the court ruled that the COVID-19 pandemic emergency was not sufficient to immediately finalize...CMS Rules
Through the last few weeks in office and in anticipation of the new calendar year, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) passed a slew of rules, deadline extensions and requests for participation in order to bolster cost-lowering initiatives and incentivize participation in value-based care programs.
The federal...CMS Rules
Last week, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) announced the Geographic track for the Direct Contracting model. This week, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) expounded on the program, announcing that the model could be extended to Medicare Managed Care Organizations (MCOs) serving dually eligible...CMS Rules
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed a new rule to streamline prior authorizations and improve electronic healthcare data transfers between doctors, patients and insurance companies. The rule will require payers involved in certain government programs to build apps for the purpose of this exchange and prior...CMS Rules
Across the board, providers are unhappy and vocal about the calendar year 2021 pay rule released by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) last week. Due to strict budget neutrality, the agency offset a pay increase for primary care providers by cutting payment to specialists by up to 10%.
Primary care doctors and nurses...CMS Rules
Last week, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a propose rule for 2022 Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters. The proposed rule would lower the user fee or Affordable Care Act (ACA) insurers to 2.25% of the premium for the coverage year 2022 and also would enable states to partner directly with the private...CMS Rules
On Tuesday the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the final rule for policy adjustments under the Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) for calendar year 2021. The rule confirmed changes to telehealth payments made during the COVID-19 pandemic, but will make cuts to specialty providers.
Last March, during the onset...CMS Rules
Last Friday, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced a final rule that makes changes to the Physician Self-Referral Law, or Stark Law, which prohibits doctors from referring patients to services or providers owned or employed by the referring physician. The law has caused issues for participants in value-based...CMS Rules
Last Friday, the Trump administration announced two interim final rules in a last-ditch effort to fulfill the president’s campaign promises of lowering drug prices for seniors. Many of President Trump’s prior efforts were blocked by litigation or lost momentum during the rule making process. With eight weeks left in his presidency,...CMS Rules
On Oct. 20, CMS approved a waiver that allows adult Medicaid beneficiaries in Nebraska to receive additional benefits, including vision and dental, if they participate in work requirements. The program is set to go into effect in April 2021.
Nebraska’s new Medicaid Section 1115 demonstration called “Heritage Health Adult" is...CMS Rules
Value-based care continues to be a focus in the news this week, as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Seema Verma penned an op-ed in Modern Healthcare about the Centers’ support for models driven by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation. These programs have on the whole lost more money than they’ve...CMS Rules
Last week CMS said it has taken steps to advance a package of state-led reforms that could result in thousands of uninsured Georgians gaining access to coverage. Specifically, CMS announced the approval of Georgia's new Medicaid section 1115 demonstration called "Pathways to Coverage."
CMS began implementing work requirements for...CMS Rules
The new model now requires providers to get prior authorization (PA) before scheduling a non-emergent ambulance transport for a patient and pays ambulance services for taking patients to non-hospital facilities.
A ride in an ambulance can cost between hundreds and thousands of dollars depending on locations, services and the...CMS Rules
CMS makes move to drive value-based reimbursement for cancer and chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end stage renal disease (ESRD) with a new final rule. The End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Treatment Choices (ETC) Model uses value-based care payments to encourage the usage of home dialysis and kidney transplants. The new model also benefits...CMS Rules
On Thursday, Sept. 3, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) launched Care Compare – an online consumer-facing database of provider quality information.
In January, CMS originally announced its plan to merge Home Health Compare with its seven other Compare sites. Agency officials said the goal was to create one...CMS Rules
On Aug. 31 CMS issued a proposed rule that aims to make innovative devices and breakthrough technologies more accessible to Medicare beneficiaries.
Once the Medicare Coverage of Innovative Technology final rule goes into effect, national Medicare coverage will begin on the date of a breakthrough device’s FDA market authorization and...CMS Rules
On September 2, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final rule for acute care and long-term care hospitals that increases Medicare spending on acute care inpatient hospital services by about $3.5 billion and ties Medicare FFS inpatient hospital pay to MA negotiated rates in FY 2024.
Long-term care...CMS Rules
ACA-enrollment has dropped each year of the Trump presidency, a trend that’s also been seen in Arizona. The most recent data from Kaiser Family Foundation reports there are 153,020 Arizonans enrolled in marketplace plans. The Trump administration has dramatically cut funding for Navigators tasked with getting the word out about ACA...
