Bulletin Board
Bulletin Board
New Poverty Level Standards to Jeopardize Medicaid Eligibility?
The Trump administration is considering changing how the federal government measures inflation for the purpose of calculating the federal poverty level. Such a change, if implemented, could potentially reduce inflation-related increases in the federal poverty level, which in turn could limit the ability of some individuals and families to qualify, or continue to qualify, for a variety of public safety-net services – including, potentially, Medicaid. Among the possible alternatives to the current methodology for calculating inflation is the Chained Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers. The Obama administration also [...]
MACPAC Seeks Input on IMDs
A 2018 law calls for the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission to report to Congress on institutions for mental diseases, or IMDs, receiving Medicaid payments. The law specifies that MACPAC solicit input from a variety of sources, including the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, state Medicaid and mental health agencies and authorities, Medicaid insurers, Medicaid advocates, and others. To help fulfill this requirement, MACPAC is now soliciting views from stakeholders. Among the many subjects on which MACPAC seeks input are (in MACPAC’s words), state requirements, including certification, [...]
CMS Outlines Improvements in RAC Audit Processes
In the face of complaints from hospitals about backlogs, time-consuming procedures, and lengthy appeals processes involving Medicare Recovery Audit Contractor audits, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services recently outlined changes it has implemented in the RAC audit process to address these and other concerns. They are (in CMS's own words): Better Oversight of RACs We are holding RACs accountable for performance by requiring them to maintain a 95% accuracy score. RACs that fail to maintain this rate will receive a progressive reduction in the number of claims they are [...]
Are Savings Baked Into Medicare Advantage?
Medicare Advantage plans spend less for their members’ care than traditional Medicare – even when beneficiaries switch from traditional Medicare to a Medicare Advantage plan. This spending trend, moreover, applies to all types of Medicare beneficiaries, even after risk adjustment, regardless of age, gender, or dual-eligibility. It even applies to beneficiaries with chronic medical conditions, according to a recent study. Why the difference? The study’s authors suggest “favorable self-selection.” Past studies have suggested that Medicare Advantage plans’ care management components are responsible for reduced costs but this study casts that [...]
New Client
DeBrunner & Associates is pleased to welcome our newest client: the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. As Pennsylvania’s largest non-governmental employer, with more than 87,000 employees, UPMC consists of more than 30 hospitals, more than 700 doctors' offices and outpatient sites, an international division, and an enterprises division. Welcome!