Reimbursement
The Department of Health and Human Services has reported that nearly 48,000 Medicare enrollees have saved $38 million this year - an average of $800 per person - under a 50 percent discount created by the Affordable Care Act.
Two Pennsylvania Congressmen - from opposite sides of the aisle - have filed a bill seeking to eliminate a competitive bidding program for durable medical equipment that has frustrated providers and consumers.
Idaho plans to increase state funding for Medicaid, though the total budget for Medicaid will decrease, according to a report in the Idaho Statesmen.
The Department of Health and Human Services has proposed that state Medicaid agencies use federal funds to help pay for uncovering fraud through the screening and analysis of Medicaid claims data.
Two months after announcing its intention to raise rates for 200,000 individual plan members - with some planned increases as high as 59 percent - California Blue Shield is withdrawing its rate filing with the California Department of Insurance and instead will hold both individual and family plan rates steady for the remainder of the year.
Anyone hoping The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' announcement that it will conduct a HIPAA 5010, ICD-10 readiness assessment is a sign that the group might once again push back the deadlines would be wise not to hold breath for such an outcome.
In the Federal Register dated March 11, 2011, CMS explains that it provided certain milestones for providers, payers, and vendors en route to HIPAA 5010 and ICD-10 subsequently.
Sourcenet, a premier physician billing and practice management firm in Mt. Pleasant, S.C., is the first medical biller, under the Healthcare Network Accreditation Program (HNAP) Medical Biller, to be accredited by The Electronic Healthcare Network Accreditation Commission (EHNAC).
By now it is not news to say that Donald Berwick's chances of being confirmed as the head of CMS are rapidly declining from slim to next to none. Not a huge surprise really, but it is a fact made abundantly clear earlier this month when 42 Republican senators penned a contentious letter to President Obama asking him to withdraw Berwick's nomination.
Those familiar with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' Recovery Audit Contractor program say the RAC audits haven't been as bad as was predicted when the controversial program was launched in late 2009.
Anthem Blue Cross and two medical groups from Sharp HealthCare will launch a pilot accountable care organization focused on serving Anthem's San Diego-based group, small group and individual plan PPO members.