Online resource packed with regulatory news and expert guidance, tips & tools pertinent to professionals across the post-acute care continuum.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will make $25.5 billion available to health care providers impacted by the pandemic, with the application period opening Sept. 29. This funding includes $8.5 billion in American Rescue Plan (ARP) resources for providers who serve rural Medicaid, Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) or Medicare patients, and an […]
Medicare Administrative Contractor CGS recently released a new three-page document on fraud and abuse in home health and hospice. The document, published Aug. 16, looks to educate employees on recognizing fraud and abuse. “If you work with patients receiving home health & hospice services it is vital to be informed about all aspects of fraud,” […]
Agencies and stakeholders have until Friday, August 27, to provide comments on the 2022 Home Health final rule. Formal comments can be submitted online. Introduced in late June, the proposed rule: Plots a national expansion for the Home Health Value-Based Purchasing (HHVBP) model in 2022 Sets a date for OASIS-E implementation: January 1, 2023 Increases […]
Meena Seshamani, MD, PhD will serve as Deputy Administrator and Director of Center for Medicare and will lead the Center’s efforts for those who rely on Medicare coverage. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a new director of the Center for Medicare on Tuesday. Meena Seshamani, MD, PhD will serve as Deputy […]
CMS recently issued a final rule extending and changing the Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (CJR) Model, which was implemented to support better and more efficient care for beneficiaries who are undergoing inpatient surgeries for hip and knee replacements. The CJR program is an opportunity for home health agencies to form and deepen strategic partnerships […]
Medicare systems corrected three errors on April 1 affecting the payment of CY2021 claims. The errors were: Claims spanning January 1 were applying CY2020 rates in error Late Request for Anticipated Payment (RAP) penalties were not applying to outlier amounts Late RAP penalties were being applied after the Value-Based Purchasing (VBP) adjustment when the VBP […]
Congress should prevent planned Medicare spending reductions triggered by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, the American Medical Association (AMA) said in a March 17 statement. The reduction, which could be up to 4%, would be enacted under the statutory Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) provision, which prevents new legislation from increasing the federal budget deficit. Congress […]
The Biden administration has named Liz Richter the acting administrator for CMS. Richter has served since 1990 and most recently served as deputy director of the Center for Medicare, according to CMS. Richter began in the Bureau of Policy Development working on inpatient hospital payment policy. She later worked on a variety of Medicare payment […]
In the midst of the COVID-19 public health emergency and the height of flu season, it is important to ensure patients in home health and hospice care are up to date on their influenza and pneumonia vaccines. A post on a Celerian Group Company (CGS)’s website reminds providers: Home health agencies can provide the influenza […]
An issue with RAP processing under the new no-pay RAP policies has led to some RAPs being returned to agencies, but Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) have determined a workaround, according to a message from CGS to providers last week. While its optional for you to report a Core-Based Statistical Area (CBSA) code using value code […]