Medicare reimbursement policy

Federal Health Policy Update for Tuesday, March 22

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 22. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Provider Relief Fund As of March 22 at 11:59 p.m. (eastern) the HRSA (Health Resources and Services Administration) COVID-19 Uninsured Program will stop accepting claims for testing and treatment due to lack of funds and on April 5 at 11:59 p.m. (eastern) the HRSA COVID-19 Uninsured Program and COVID-19 Coverage Assistance Fund will stop accepting vaccination claims due to a lack of funds. HRSA has released additional information [...]

iqtsupport2022-03-22T20:50:28-04:00March 22, 2022|340b, Accountable Care Organization, ACO, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMMI, health equity, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicare reimbursement policy, Telehealth|

MedPAC Makes 2023 Medicare Payment Recommendations

The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission has released its March 2022 Report to the Congress: Medicare Payment Policy. The report includes MedPAC’s recommendations for Medicare payments in 2023. For the coming year, MedPAC recommends the following changes in Medicare fee-for-service payments: hospital inpatient payments – increase 2.5% hospital outpatient payments – increase 2.0% long-term care hospital payments – increase approximately 2.0% outpatient dialysis payments – increase 1.2% physician, ambulatory surgical center, and hospice payments – no change skilled nursing facility, home health, and inpatient rehabilitation facility payments – reduce 5.0% The report also reviews the status of Medicare Advantage and the [...]

iqtsupport2022-03-21T06:00:52-04:00March 21, 2022|Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC|

Federal Health Policy Update for Wednesday, March 16

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 16. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Provider Relief Fund On March 22, 2022 at 11:59 p.m. (eastern), the HRSA COVID-19 Uninsured Program will stop accepting claims for testing and treatment due to lack of funds. On April 5, 2022 at 11:59 p.m. (eastern), the HRSA COVID-19 Uninsured Program and COVID-19 Coverage Assistance Fund will stop accepting vaccination claims due to a lack of funds. See the announcement of these changes. Providers that received Provider [...]

iqtsupport2022-03-16T17:41:14-04:00March 16, 2022|Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Coronavirus, COVID-19, hospitals, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicaid disproportionate share, Medicaid DSH, Medicaid DSH allotments, Medicaid upper-payment limit, Medicare post-acute care, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC|

Federal Health Policy Update for Thursday, March 10

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 10. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. White House The White House has posted a transcript of the March 2 press briefing given by its COVID-19 response team to outline the administration’s National COVID-19 Preparedness Plan. 340B Eligibility Protection and Telehealth Extensions in the Omnibus Spending Bill Providers that feared they might lose their eligibility to continue participating in the 340B prescription drug discount program because they have fallen below that program’s Medicare disproportionate share [...]

iqtsupport2022-03-10T17:37:25-05:00March 10, 2022|Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Congress, Coronavirus, COVID-19, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicaid managed care, Medicare, Medicare disproportionate share, Medicare DSH, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC, Telehealth|

Federal Health Policy Update for Wednesday, March 2

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 2. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Provider Relief Fund The Provider Relief Fund FAQ has been updated with three modified questions that address 1099 forms and procedures involved in returning Provider Relief Fund money to the federal government. Find the three updates, all marked “Modified 2/25/2022,” on pages 6 and 8 of the Provider Relief Fund FAQ. Federal Response to Surprise Billing Regulation Court Decision Last week a federal court decision invalidated a major [...]

iqtsupport2022-03-02T17:41:03-05:00March 2, 2022|Accountable Care Organization, Alternative payment models, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMMI, Coronavirus, COVID-19, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicare, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC|

Federal Health Policy Update for Friday, February 18

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 3:00 p.m. on Friday, February 18. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. White House The White House has posted a transcript of the February 16 press briefing given by its COVID-19 response team and public officials. Go here to see the slides presented during the briefing. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Health Policy Update CMS has issued a request for information (RFI) seeking feedback on topics related to Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), such as enrolling [...]

iqtsupport2022-02-18T17:15:56-05:00February 18, 2022|Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMMI, COVID-19, health equity, Medicaid, Medicare, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC|

Medicare Sending Mixed Signals on Hospital Quality

764 hospitals were recently penalized by Medicare for having too many patient infections and potentially avoidable medical complications. As a result, they will see their Medicare payments reduced one percent over the next year – a standard penalty under the agency’s Hospital-Acquired Condition Reduction Program. Thirty-eight of those hospitals cited for this problem, however, were awarded five stars – the highest rating – on Medicare’s Care Compare web site. Another 134 penalized hospitals received four-star ratings. Why the seeming contradiction? Kaiser Health News explores this question, and offers some answers, in the article “Health Care Paradox: Medicare Penalizes Dozens of [...]

iqtsupport2022-02-08T11:53:31-05:00February 8, 2022|hospitals, Medicare reimbursement policy|

Federal Health Policy Update for Thursday, February 3

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, February 3. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Provider Relief Fund The reconsideration window for Provider Relief Fund Phase 4 payments and American Rescue Plan rural hospital payments is now open for providers to request reconsideration of their payments. This process is intended only for providers that believe their payment was not calculated correctly. They will not have an opportunity to submit an application if they missed a deadline; will not be able to revise or [...]

iqtsupport2022-02-03T17:46:52-05:00February 3, 2022|Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMMI, Coronavirus, COVID-19, health equity, hospitals, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC, Telehealth|

Federal Health Policy Update for Friday, January 28

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 3:45 p.m. on Friday, January 28. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Provider Relief Fund HHS and its Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announced that this week they made more than $2 billion in Provider Relief Fund Phase 4 General Distribution payments to more than 7,600 providers. Nearly $11 billion of the $17 billion allocated for Provider Relief Fund Phase 4 payments have now been distributed. Phase 4 payments have an increased focus on equity, including reimbursing a higher [...]

iqtsupport2022-01-28T17:26:51-05:00January 28, 2022|Accountable Care Organization, ACO, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Congress, Coronavirus, COVID-19, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC|

Federal Health Policy Update for Wednesday, January 19

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:45 p.m. on Wednesday, January 19. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Public Health Emergency Declaration Renewed HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra has renewed his department’s declaration of a public health emergency in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The renewal took effect on January 16 and extends the declaration for three months. Find the declaration here. Free COVID-19 Tests and Masks Upon request, the federal government is now providing four free monthly home COVID-19 tests to every household. Order those tests [...]

iqtsupport2022-01-19T17:47:33-05:00January 19, 2022|Affordable Care Act, Alternative payment models, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMMI, Coronavirus, COVID-19, MACPAC, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy|