Online resource packed with regulatory news and expert guidance, tips & tools pertinent to professionals across the post-acute care continuum.
Earlier in July, CMS sent a letter out to Medicare providers. The letter was sent as a reminder that in order to successfully bill for services, ICD-10 codes must be used starting on Oct. 1, 2015. The Medicare claims processing system will not have the capability to accept ICD-9 codes for dates of service after […]
On July 28, 2015, the Senate unanimously passed the NOTICE Act. This legislation was introduced by Congressmen Lloyd Doggett (D-TX-35) and Todd Young (R-IN-9) in the U.S. House of Representatives earlier this year. The NOTICE Act will require hospitals to notify Medicare beneficiaries of their outpatient status within 36 hours. Outpatient status affects a patient’s […]
After three years of operations, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) reported that the agency’s advanced analytics system, called the Fraud Prevention System, identified or prevented $820 million in inappropriate payments in the program’s first three years. The Fraud Prevention System uses predictive analytics to identify troublesome billing patterns and outlier claims for […]
This week, CMS is highlighting different steps to help providers get ready for the ICD-10 compliance date of October 1, 2015. While ICD-10 is almost here, you still have time to get ready. But you must get ready now. How to get started: Verify that you can use your ICD-10-ready systems to: Generate a claim […]
On July 8, 2015, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) update included proposed revisions to the “Two-Midnight Rule” and its enforcement within the Medicare reimbursement of acute care hospitals for outpatient care. The Center for Medicare Advocacy (CMA) takes the stance that the revision will not significantly change hospital practices. If the proposed […]
HCPro’s Medicare Boot Camp®–Long-Term Care Version covers the latest Medicare rules and regulations so that you can help your facility provide quality resident care, bill appropriately for services, and prevent payment denials. Medicare Boot Camp®–Long-Term Care Version follows a Medicare patient from preadmission through discharge, addressing the function of each department, and uncovering the pitfalls along the way. […]
On July 13, 2015, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a proposal to improve the quality of care and safety affecting long-term care residents. Regulations regarding reduction of unnecessary hospital readmissions and infections, increased quality of resident care, and strengthened safety measures top the major revisions in CMS’ proposed rule CMS-3260-P, which […]
With less than three months remaining until the nation switches from ICD-9 to ICD-10 coding for medical diagnoses and inpatient hospital procedures, The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the American Medical Association (AMA) are announcing efforts to continue to help physicians get ready ahead of the October 1 deadline. In response to […]
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued updated guidance as the last week (July 20-24) to conduct ICD-10 end-to-end testing with Medicare approaches. The goal with end-to-end testing is to ensure that: Providers and submitters can successfully submit claims containing ICD-10 codes to the Medicare FFS claims systems; software changes the Centers […]
At HCPro, we recognize that long-term care billers are a largely underserved professional population. While long-term care has national associations for nearly every type of nursing home professional, no membership association for billing professionals exists – until now. The soon to be launched HCPro’s Billers’ Association is a national membership community designed specifically for long-term […]