New CMS Initiatives Spark Interest

The Accountable Care Organization (ACO) Realizing Equity, Access, and Community Health (REACH) initiative is a new model for ACOs operating under Medicare. It will be tested under the Centers for…

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CMS Updates Important Message from Medicare Instructions

The changes will become effective in about three months, giving providers time to modify processes. The staff at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) have been working overtime…

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CMS E&M Changes: Some MACs are Getting it Wrong

RACmonitor launches an occasional series, “RAC Rants,” with this first post by past president of the Healthcare Business and Management Association (HBMA) Holly Louie. Entries are welcome at editor@medlearnmedia.com. The…

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CMS Reinstates COVID-19 Vaccination Mandate in 25 States

CMS announced it would be reinstating the COVID-19 healthcare worker vaccine mandate to facilities in 25 states and the District of Columbia that are not affected by the preliminary injunction.  The states…

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CMS Delivers Flurry of Final Rules

Changes to the MPFS, OPPS, and HHPPS were announced on the same day. Rather than a “news dump” late on a Friday afternoon, federal healthcare officials instead served up a…

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Read more about the article CMS Releases Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule
Displeased black healthcare worker using smartphone and reading an e-mail at doctor's office.

CMS Releases Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule

CMS says it the goal is to support health equity while focusing on high-quality person-centered care. Increased leverage of telehealth for behavioral care, diabetes prevention and mitigation, and enhanced payment…

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CMS Finalizes One-year Extension of New Technology Add-on Payments

Various approvals, exceptions, and new PCS codes that may potentially lead to additional payments. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) desires to use the best data available when…

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Medicare Advantage and TPE Audits Surge

Everyone in the industry knows about audits of healthcare providers. But what about the billing companies? Or a data-analytics company? In a complaint filed last week, a New York data-mining…

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CMS Asks Medicare Advantage Plans to Relax Prior Authorizations

CMS has requested that Medicare Advantage organizations relax or waive prior authorizations due to the impact of the coronavirus Delta variant. “The ability of hospitals to transfer patients to appropriate…

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New Regulations Include Four Final Rules

In the world of healthcare regulation, when it rains, it pours – but then occasionally, like last week, we get a drought. Last week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid…

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