JOINT COMMISSION ANNOUNCES MS.1.20 TASK FORCE
The Joint Commission today announced the establishment of a special fact finding task force that will examine implementation issues related to revised hospital medical staff standard MS.1.20 and address issues of concern that have been raised. The Joint Commission expects the task force report at the Board of Commissioners…
As of February 1, 2008, U.S. citizens may begin to apply for the New Passport Card. The passport card will facilitate travel between the U.S. and land border as well as sea ports-of-entry countries such as Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean. The new passport card will carry the same rights and privileges as a…
CORF SERVICES
I. INTRODUCTION
CORF Services may consist of physician services, physical and occupational therapy services, speech pathology services, respiratory services, prosthetic or orthotic devices and related services, social and psychological services, drugs and biologicals, vaccines and supplies, appliances and equipment. Any of these services may be provided provided a physician first certifies the medical…
REPORTING OF CARDIAC REHABILITATION SERVICES
Cardiac rehab services were being reported as CPT 93797 (physician services for outpatient cardiac rehabilitation without continuous ECG monitoring) and CPT 93798 (physician services for outpatient cardiac rehabilitation with continuing ECG monitoring). CMS proposed to establish two new HCPCs codes to report cardiac rehab services, i.e., GXXX 1 (physician services for…
(Department of Homeland Security, Bureau of Customs and Border Protection) U.S., Canadian and Bermudian citizens entering the United States at land or sea ports-of-entry must establish their identity and citizenship to the satisfaction of a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Officer. Under current CBP procedures, such individuals may provide any proof of identity and citizenship.
Continue Reading Oral Declarations No Longer Satisfactory as Evidence of Citizenship and Identity
On December 6, 2007 HealthLeaders News reported that the Federal government has established a one year contract with PriceWaterhouseCoopers to conduct security audits on covered entities to verify compliance with the HIPAA security rule.
Continue Reading ARE YOU PREPARED FOR A HIPAA SECURITY AUDIT?
CMS today issued a final rule delaying until January 1, 2009, the applicability of the anti?markup provisions in §414.50, as revised at 72 FR 66222, except with respect to: (1) the technical component of a purchased diagnostic test and (2) any anatomic pathology diagnostic testing services furnished in space that (i) is utilized by a physician group practice as a "centralized building" (as defined at §411.351 of this chapter) for purposes of complying with the physician self-referral rules and (ii) does not qualify as a "same building" under §411.355(b)(2)(i). This final rule is available for public inspection at the Office of the Federal Register as of 1:17 p.m., today, December 28, 2007, and is effective January 1, 2008. The final rule will be published in the January 3, 2008 Federal Register.
The text below is that of the CMS-approved document that was submitted to the Office of the Federal Register (OFR) for publication and placed on public display on December 28, 2007. The document is pending publication in the Federal Register. This document may vary slightly from the published document if minor editorial changes have been made during the OFR review process. The document published in the Federal Register is the official CMS-approved document.
On November 1, 2007, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services ("CMS") released its final Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Rule for calendar year 2008. In addition to announcing CMS’ payment rates for 2008, the final rule includes a new definition of physical therapist assistant and sets forth certain personnel standards for the provision of physical therapy services. Continue Reading MEDICARE PROVIDES NEW DEFINITION OF PHYSICAL THERAPIST ASSISTANT
The California Supreme Court has agreed to hear the appeal of Mileikowsky vs. West Hills Hospital and Medical Center. The question to be heard on appeal is:
“Does the presiding officer in a medical review proceeding have the authority to terminate the hearing as a sanction for a party’s failure to cooperate in discovery, or…
In continuing coverage from yesterday’s briefing, Bloomberg (12/20, Goldstein, Johnston) reports that a "scheduled cut in Medicare payments to doctors will be postponed," and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) "will be extended at its current enrollment under legislation the U.S. House sent to…
