Revenue Cycle Management
Some states have found practical success in establishing the Affordable Care Act, but what distinguishes their efforts are their unique fit within each state's distinctive political and business climates.
A new federal regulatory proposal to ensure adequate insurance networks could help not-for-profit hospitals, Moody's said in a briefing released this week.
In case anyone was wondering, the RACs haven't gone away for good. They're just taking a vacation. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced a "pause" in RAC audits last month, in preparation for the procurement of the next round of RAC contracts.
The Obama Administration released its proposed federal budget for fiscal year 2015 this week. Virtually all types of healthcare providers, health plans, and drug manufacturers would be impacted by the budget provisions if adopted as proposed - although that is an unlikely scenario.
There's still plenty of work to do before the Oct. 1 ICD-10 deadline. A recent study found that only 4.8 percent of physician practices reported significant progress in overall ICD-10 readiness. Hospitals report higher levels, but many are still behind.
The number of people determined eligible for Medicaid since the launch of new insurance marketplaces is approaching 10 million, according to new data released from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
Tenet Healthcare Corp., the nation's third largest for-profit hospital operator, said Tuesday it expects 15 percent of its uninsured patients to get covered this year as a result of the Affordable Care Act.
With the threat of significant reimbursement losses, hospitals and health systems are feeling the pressure of getting the transition to ICD-10 right.
The recent delay of the employer mandate for medium-sized businesses will harm not-for-profit hospitals because it postpones increased revenues from expanded coverage of previously uninsured patients and the subsequent reduction in bad debt and charity care it would bring, a Moody's report said.
Because health system operators reacted quickly to manage payment cuts and lower patient volumes, Moody's Investors Service has upgraded its for-profit hospital outlook to positive from stable.