Hospice advocates are calling for a delay to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' (CMS) Medicare Advantage (MA) carve-in demonstration set to begin in Jan. 2021.
Earlier this year, the agency announced it would start testing hospice care coverage through MA plans in 2021 with the intention of increasing care...Arizona News
National enrollment for 2020 health plans on HealthCare.gov totaled 8.3 million for the open enrollment period ending on Dec. 15. But this year because some consumers attempting to enroll during the final hours experienced issues, the deadline for sign up was extended until 3 a.m. EST Dec. 18.
This year, shoppers seeking health...National News
Despite 2020 presidential candidate debates and lawmakers' crusade on the healthcare industry's business model, pharmaceutical companies, hospitals and insurance companies fared quite favorably as billions in tax breaks line their pockets ahead of the holidays.
Former CMS Administrator Andy Slavitt told the Washington Post,...
A report from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) inspector general's office analyzed Medicare Advantage (MA) encounter data from 2016, stemming from concerns that MA organizations use chart reviews to inaccurately inflate risk adjusted payments. The result was billions in additional payments.
The Office of Inspector...
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently issued a request for applications (RFA) for two of the three voluntary payment model options, specifying how accountable care organizations can apply to participate in the professional and global options of Direct Contracting (DC).
Defined within DC are three different...CMS Rules
Medicare open enrollment for 2020 coverage ended Saturday, Dec. 7, and while the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) indicated a special enrollment period (SEP) for seniors who enrolled in a plan based on erroneous information, senators are calling for CMS to specify information regarding the SEP and make it available for...CMS Rules
For the first time in the last decade, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) updated the popular health plan shopping tool Medicare Plan Finder, but the recent redesign initiative has raised concerns for consumer advocacy groups that say the tool offers inaccurate information.
The federal government spent $11 million...Arizona News
Hospital prices continue to be scrutinized as employer groups deem costs way too high and pressure from the Trump Administration to publish negotiated prices increases.
According to a Rand report, significant discrepancies were found between what private health plans pay for hospital services versus Medicare, highlighting that...National News
As the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) considers possible changes to the methodology it uses to calculate hospital star ratings, some experts are worried the proposed adjustments do not adequately account for patient needs.
The agency announced in August plans to update the quality measurement methodology of the...CMS Rules
A new analysis of the decline in hospital readmission rates suggests ties to a drop in hospital admissions all together, rather than a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) value-based purchasing program as previously credited.
The Medicare Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP) is a value-based purchasing...CMS Rules
Medicare beneficiaries will see a 7 percent increase in monthly premiums and annual deductibles for 2020 Part B coverage, which takes care of physician services, outpatient hospital services, explicit home health services and durable medical equipment.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announces the rates for...CMS Rules
After the publication of the Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) on Friday, the Trump Administration is holding off on a controversial transparency rule that would require hospitals to publicly post all privately negotiated payer rates. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has promised to issue a "forthcoming...National News
One of the country's oldest nonprofit health insurance plans allegedly exploited Medicare of millions; Seattle-based Group Health Cooperative was taken to federal court in a whistleblower case.
Filing suit against the health plan is one of the company's former medical billing managers, Teresa Ross, who alleges that Group Health...Arizona News
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) unveiled a proposal spearheaded by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) on Oct. 9 to make changes to anti-kickback legislation and Stark Law in an effort to modernize.
In a news release announcing the proposals, HHS...
In a letter dated Oct. 17, the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) notified the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) that it will postpone implementation of AHCCCS works until further notice, citing ongoing court battles over Medicaid work requirements and the "evolving national landscape concerning...
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published a notice on Thursday informing hospitals of its plans to survey facilities to collect information on their acquisition costs for certain covered outpatient drugs included in the 340B Drug Discount Program.
The notice follows a July proposed rule from the Trump...Arizona News
Starting Oct. 1 therapy payments to nursing facilities will shift to a value-based model, emphasizing patient needs over the amount of services provided. The Patient Driven Payment Model (PDPM), a more individualized approach, aims to reduce inflated billing by basing payments on patient's medical characteristics.
The new approach...Arizona News
Arizona's Medicaid Program, the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS), is implementing work requirements beginning the fall of 2020 in Maricopa, Pima and Yuma counties. Eventually, nearly 120,000 Arizona residents on Medicaid will have to prove they are either working, studying or volunteering in order to continue...CMS Rules
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced Aug. 15 that all plans on HealthCare.gov will be required to display quality star ratings during the 2020 open enrollment.
CMS said in a news release, the move builds on efforts by the Trump Administration to increase transparency and encourage informed coverage...Arizona News
In a speech given on Monday at the Better Medicare Alliance 2019 Medicare Advantage Summit, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Seema Verma voiced concerns about the consequences a single-payer healthcare system including its impact on innovation with the elimination of private insurers.
Verma explicitly...