Medicare & Reimbursement
Medical Staff Joint Commission Standards: MS.01.01.01 is the New MS.1.20
By Michael Cassidy on
Posted in Medicare & Reimbursement
The Joint Commission has released a revised draft of Hospital Accreditation Standard MS.1.20, which was first proposed in June 2007 and intended to establish a balance of power between hospital administration and hospital medical staffs. Although originally scheduled to become effective January 1, 2009, the controversy and uproar accompanying the proposals in 2007 were so…
DMEPOS Accreditation Required September 30, 2009
By Michael Cassidy on
Posted in Medicare & Reimbursement
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) reminds Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics and Supplies (DMEPOS) suppliers enrolled with the National Supplier Clearinghouse (NSC) they are required to obtain accreditation by September 30, 2009. Without accreditation, DMEPOS suppliers’ billing privileges will be revoked on or after October 1, 2009. Further, without accreditation, DMEPOS suppliers will not…
MGMA Identifies Key Physician Healthcare Reform Issues In Baucus Bill
By Michael Cassidy on
Posted in Medicare & Reimbursement
- Replacing the scheduled 21.5 percent reduction in 2010 Medicare physician payments with a 0.5 percent increase;
- Requiring that all eligible health professionals participate in Medicare’s Physician Quality Reporting Initiative by 2011;
- Creating a 10 percent bonus payment for primary-care and general-surgery providers who practice in health professional shortage areas. Funding for this five-year bonus,
…
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Introduces Health Reform Bill
By Michael Cassidy on
Posted in Medicare & Reimbursement
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) has introduced the America’s Healthy Future Act of 2009. It is scheduled for a full Committee markup on September 22, where Democrats hope to obtain more Republican support.
The bill offers initiatives that will help all Americans meet the requirement of having health coverage, such as the expansion…
Medicare Consignment Closet Changes Delayed Until March 1, 2010
By Michael Cassidy on
Posted in Medicare & Reimbursement
The new consignment closet billing and compliance rules reported in the Med Law Blog on August 17, 2009 and intended to be effective on September 8, 2009 have been delayed until March 1, 2010 by Transmittal 300.
Consignment Closets: CMS Issues Physician Restrictions
By Michael Cassidy on
Posted in Medicare & Reimbursement
CMS has issued Compliance Standards for Consignment Closets and Stock and Bill Arrangements. The purpose of Change Request 6528 was to define and prohibit certain arrangements where an enrolled supplier of durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies (DMEPOS) maintains inventory at a practice location which is not owned by the enrolled DMEPOS supplier, but…
How Many Lobbyists Does it Take to Fix/Ruin Healthcare Reform?
By Michael Cassidy on
Posted in Medicare & Reimbursement
According to Bloomberg News it takes six lobbyists per lawmaker; on August 14, 2006, Bloomberg reported that $3,300 lobbyists have lined up to work on health reform. "That six lobbyists for each of the 535 members of the House and Senate, according to Senate records, and three times the number of people registered to lobby on…
OIG Seeks Revision of “Incident To Rules”
By Michael Cassidy on
Posted in Compliance, Medicare & Reimbursement
The Office of Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services has just released a report examining problems with incident to billing by physicians, and seeking restrictions on the use of that billing arrangement. The report, titled "Prevalence and Qualifications of Non-Physicians Who Performed Medicare Physician Services" was posed by the OIG on…
Radiology Self-referral Bill May Be Folded Into Health Reform
By Michael Cassidy on
Posted in Medicare & Reimbursement
A bill introduced into the U.S. House of Representatives in June that would close the in-office ancillary service exemption for MRI, CT and PET allowed under the Start anti-self-referral law may be added to a healthcare reform package currently under consideration in Congress.
Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA) introduced HR 2962, or the Integrity in Medicare…