Medicare reimbursement policy

Federal Health Policy Update for Tuesday, November 23

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, November 23. 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 22 press briefing given by its COVID-19 response team and public officials. Go here for the slides presented during that meeting. Provider Relief Fund HHS announced that it has begun distributing $7.5 billion in American Rescue Plan rural payments to providers and suppliers that serve rural Medicaid, Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and Medicare beneficiaries. [...]

iqtsupport2021-11-23T17:27:12-05:00November 23, 2021|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 reimbursement policy, Telehealth|

Federal Health Policy Update for Friday, November 19

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:45 p.m. on Friday, November 19. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Congress On Friday the House passed a $1.7 trillion social spending bill, H.R. 5376 - Build Back Better Act, with no Republican votes and all but one Democratic vote. The Congressional Budget Office score indicates that the health care policies in the bill are paid for by cuts in other health care programs. The bill includes nearly $300 billion in health care provisions, including: $57 billion to provide [...]

iqtsupport2021-11-19T17:30:27-05:00November 19, 2021|Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Congress, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Medicare reimbursement policy|

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 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|

Federal Health Policy Update for Tuesday, October 12

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:45 p.m. on Tuesday, October 12. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Provider Relief Fund: Reminder That Applications Are Now Being Accepted The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has opened its portal for providers to apply for $25.5 billion in health care relief funds, including $8.5 billion in American Rescue Plan resources for providers that serve rural patients covered by Medicare, Medicaid, or the Children’s Health Insurance Program and $17 billion for Provider Relief Fund Phase 4 grants for [...]

iqtsupport2021-10-12T17:17:12-04:00October 12, 2021|Coronavirus, COVID-19, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicare, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC|

Federal Health Policy Update for Thursday, September 9

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, September 9. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. The White House The White House has issued a fact sheet outlining how the administration plans to improve the country’s readiness for future pandemics. The major elements of the plan are transforming medical defenses, ensuring situational awareness, strengthening public health systems, building core capabilities, and managing the mission. The White House has posted a transcript of the September 2 press briefing given by its COVID-19 response team and [...]

iqtsupport2021-09-09T17:42:36-04:00September 9, 2021|Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMMI, Congress, Coronavirus, COVID-19, MACPAC, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicare post-acute care, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC, post-acute care|

Federal Health Policy Update for Monday, August 30

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:30 p.m. on Monday, August 30. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Temporary Suspension of COVID-19 Data Reporting Requirements for Some Hospitals The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response has announced that federal hospital COVID-19 reporting requirements for the entire state of Louisiana and parts of Mississippi have been suspended for seven days in response to Hurricane Ida. While hospitals in the affected areas may still report their data if they [...]

iqtsupport2021-08-30T18:45:57-04:00August 30, 2021|Accountable Care Organization, ACO, Alternative payment models, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Coronavirus, COVID-19, MACPAC, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC|

Federal Health Policy Update for Thursday, August 26

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, August 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 revamped its Provider Relief Fund web site. See the new site here. During a Provider Relief Fund stakeholder webinar today, HRSA highlighted three new fact sheets to assist providers in meeting the September 30, 2021 reporting deadline for Provider Relief Fund money received from April 2020 through June 2020: Provider Relief Fund resource guide guide to using [...]

iqtsupport2021-08-26T16:58:14-04:00August 26, 2021|Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Medicare post-acute care, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC|