Reimbursement

Any lingering illusions that the transition to the HIPAA 5010 standard would present only minor glitches have come crashing down. In late January, the Medical Group Management Association sent an urgent plea to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, asking the agency to take immediate action to alleviate a host of claims problems and payment delays.

An amendment tacked onto an unrelated transportation bill that would allow any employer, not just those affiliated with a religious organization, to not offer contraceptive health coverage to employees failed yesterday in the U.S. Senate by a vote of 51-48.

Louisiana is moving forward on its new Web-based Medicaid Management Information System (MMIS) now that it has federal approval on the $185 million, 10-year contract with CNSI, a Gaithersburg, Md., health IT services provider, to develop and deploy the system by the end of 2014.

In moves designed to solidify its presence in the Florida market, UnitedHealthcare announced earlier this week that it will acquire the operations of two senior-focused health plans in the state, Preferred Care Partners and Medica HealthCare Plans.

SAI Global Compliance announced Monday the findings of its 2012 Health Insurance Compliance Benchmark Study and 2012 Healthcare Compliance Benchmark Study.

The Centers for Medicaid & Medicaid Services (CMS) will partner with Text4Baby, a free national health texting service, to promote enrollment in both Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and provide pregnant women and new mothers free text messages on important healthcare issues.

Being one of the healthiest states in the nation, North Dakota is also known for providing high-quality healthcare at a low cost, according to the Executive Director of North Dakota Medical Association Courtney Koebele.

Gov. Rick Snyder of Michigan does not fit the current ideological Republican stereotype. He threw his support behind the development of a health insurance exchange because it will make the health insurance market work better.

A majority of respondents to a new survey from Edifecs, which develops technologies for regulatory compliance and data exchange, says an ICD-10 postponement would do little to improve readiness – but could have significant adverse effects.

CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield will give more than $8.5 million over three years to help 12 safety net health center programs in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. implement medical home and care coordination programs for the region's most vulnerable population, the chronically ill.