iqtsupport, Author at DeBrunner & Associates

MedPAC Looks at Outpatient Payments

The question of whether Medicare should pay different rates for outpatient services delivered in different types of settings was very much on the minds of Medicare Payment Advisory Commission members during their public meetings last week. The issue has been around for a while: are there valid reasons for some facilities to be paid more for certain outpatient services than other facilities? Or should the payment rate for a given service be the same regardless of where that service is delivered? Does the site of the service matter – or should it? At issue are Medicare payments made to private [...]

iqtsupport2021-11-18T06:00:01-05:00November 18, 2021|Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC|

MedPAC Discusses Post-COVID Telehealth

Should Medicare continue to encourage the use of telehealth when the COVID-19 pandemic ends? Should it continue to pay for telehealth when the there is no “tele” in the service and it is audio only? And should Medicare pay different rates for visits in person, telehealth visits, and audio-only (that is, telephone) visits? These were among the questions addressed by members of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission during their public meetings last week. Members also discussed the need for further analysis of the effectiveness of telehealth and audio-only visits, how to identify audio-only visits on Medicare claims, how to collect [...]

iqtsupport2021-11-17T06:00:10-05:00November 17, 2021|Medicare, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC, Telehealth|

Federal Health Policy Update for Monday, November 15

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:45 p.m. on Monday, November 15. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. The White House The White House has posted a transcript of the November 10 press briefing given by its COVID-19 response team and public officials. Go here for the slides presented during that briefing. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services – Final Guidance on Shared/Co-Located Hospital Spaces In a memo to state survey agencies, CMS has published final guidance for the evaluation of compliance with the Medicare Conditions [...]

iqtsupport2021-11-15T17:19:23-05:00November 15, 2021|Accountable Care Organization, ACO, Alternative payment models, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMMI, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicare reimbursement policy|

Federal Health Policy Update for Wednesday, November 10

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:45 p.m. on Wednesday, November 10. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. The White House The White House announced that it will spend $785 million in American Rescue Plan funding to support community-based organizations building vaccine confidence across communities of color, rural areas, and low-income populations; bolster the efforts of Tribal communities leading the way in mitigating the spread of the virus; expand public health systems’ ability to respond to the needs of people with disabilities and older adults who [...]

iqtsupport2021-11-10T17:30:36-05:00November 10, 2021|Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMMI, Coronavirus, COVID-19, MACPAC|

Federal Health Policy Update for Thursday, November 4

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:45 p.m. on Thursday, November 4. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. New Federal Vaccination Requirements CMS has unveiled its new COVID-19 vaccine requirements for health care providers that receive reimbursement from the federal government. The highlights include: CMS is requiring COVID-19 vaccination of eligible staff at health care facilities that participate in the Medicare and Medicaid programs. The staff vaccination requirement applies to the following Medicare and Medicaid-certified provider and supplier types: ambulatory surgery centers, community mental health centers, [...]

iqtsupport2021-11-04T17:17:11-04:00November 4, 2021|340b, Alternative payment models, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Congress, Coronavirus, COVID-19, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicaid upper-payment limit, Medicare post-acute care, Medicare regulations, MedPAC, Telehealth|

Nearly Half of Hospitals Nicked for Readmissions

Medicare’s Hospital Readmissions Reduction program will penalize 2499 hospitals for excessive readmissions in the coming year. That represents 47 percent of all hospitals covered by the program. The average penalty for the nearly 2500 hospitals will be a 0.64 percent reduction of their Medicare payments. Thirty-nine hospitals will suffer the maximum penalty: a three percent cut of their Medicare payments. Learn more about the effect the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program has had on hospitals – and on patients admitted to the hospital with specific medical conditions – in the Kaiser Health News story “Medicare Punishes 2,499 Hospitals for High Readmissions.”

iqtsupport2021-11-01T06:00:12-04:00November 1, 2021|Medicare|

Federal Health Policy Update for Thursday, October 28

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:45 p.m. on Thursday, October 28. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. The White House The Biden administration has updated its “Build Back Better Framework” to reflect the results of recent negotiations between the White House and congressional Democrats. Congress’s next steps on the Build Back Better Act, the social spending reconciliation bill, are unclear. The $1.75 trillion framework is far short of the $3.5 trillion plan embraced by congressional progressives. The text of the bill, HR 5376, was released this [...]

iqtsupport2021-10-28T17:08:42-04:00October 28, 2021|Congress, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Medicare|

Federal Health Policy Update for Tuesday, October 26

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 26. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Provider Relief Fund HHS’s Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has made 18 changes in its Provider Relief Fund FAQ that address Provider Relief Fund Phase 4 funding. They are: p. 7 – about returning Provider Relief Fund money p. 8 - for providers interested in receiving Provider Relief Fund money they previously rejected pp. 10 (two questions) and 14 (also two questions) – consideration for Provider Relief [...]

iqtsupport2021-10-26T18:07:22-04:00October 26, 2021|Coronavirus, COVID-19|

Federal Health Policy Update for Monday, October 25

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:30 p.m. on Monday, October 25. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Provider Relief Fund: Deadline for Submission is Tuesday, October 26 The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) will accept applications for $25.5 billion in health care relief funds until October 26. Go here for further information. HRSA has modified some of the terms for applying for assistance. All applicants must complete the first step of the application process (i.e., submitting their Tax Identification Number (TIN) and associated information [...]

iqtsupport2021-10-25T17:14:51-04:00October 25, 2021|Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMMI, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC|

Innovation Center Unveils Blueprint

The CMS Innovation Center has published a document that shares its strategic direction for the coming years. Driving Health System Transformation – A Strategy for the CMS Innovation Center’s Second Decade reviews the lessons the agency has learned over the past ten years and lays out its objectives for the next ten: Drive Accountable Care – increase the number of people in a care relationship for quality and total cost of care. Advance Health Equity – embed health equity in every aspect of CMS Innovation Center models and increase focus on underserved populations. Support Care Innovation – leverage a range [...]

iqtsupport2021-10-21T13:00:01-04:00October 21, 2021|Alternative payment models, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, CMMI|

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