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1.
CMS Eyeing Tighter Rules on Observation Status After Seeing Increasing Use
(Matching tags: observation period,Medicare,CMS) Concerned about the growing numbers of patients under observation in hospitals, CMS is considering tightening its rules for observation, including strictly limiting the length of observation period, according ... -
2.
ChartWise Medical Systems and MicroStrategy Release New Software to Help Improve Clinical Documentation
(Matching tags: ChartWise,clinical documentation,DRG,Medicare) ... Medicare audit risk and provide oversight and compliance, according to a news release by ChartWise. ... -
3.
CMS and Board of Trustees Releases Sobering Report on Medicare Finances
(Matching tags: CMS,Medicare,Boards of Trustees,annual report) The Boards of Trustees for Medicare and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have released the yearly reports to Congress on the financial operations and actuarial status of Medicare, according ... -
4.
MGMA Report Shows Primary Care Physician Pay Increased in 2009
(Matching tags: Medicare,MGMA,compensation) Physicians in primary care specialties experienced a 2.8 percent increase in median compensation in 2009, according to a new Medical Group Management Association Physician Compensation and Production Survey: ... -
5.
CMS Launches Official Website for EHR Incentive Programs
(Matching tags: Medicaid,Medicare,EHR,healthcare IT,HITECH Act) The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has launched the official website for the Medicare & Medicaid electronic health record incentive programs. These programs, established as a result of the Health ... -
6.
Hospitals Appeal 12.7% of RAC Decisions, Win 64.2% of Appeals
(Matching tags: CMS,Medicare,hospital business) In Medicare's three-year recovery audit contractor demonstration program, providers appealed 12.7 percent of RAC determinations and won 64.4 percent of those appeals through March 9, 2010, according to ... -
7.
Reimbursement Cut Led to Higher Volumes, Reducing Actual Savings
(Matching tags: Medicare,hospital reimbursements) Reimbursement cuts can prompt physicians to increase their volume of services to make up for the loss in earnings, thereby reducing the money-saving effect of the cut, according to a study reported in ... -
8.
CMS Extends Hold on Physician Claims Through Thursday
(Matching tags: claims processing,physician fee cut,Sustainable Growth Rate,Medicare) CMS has extended a hold on processing physician claims through this coming Thursday, anticipating the Senate would cancel a 21.3 percent cut in Medicare reimbursements by that time, according to an e-mail ... -
9.
Senate Not Expected to Pass Fee-Fix Before Friday
(Matching tags: AMA,Medicare,Senate,physician fee fix,James Rohack) The Senate is not expected to vote on a proposed Medicare physician fee-fix before Friday, three days after CMS will start applying a required 21.3 percent cut to physician claims, according to the chief ... -
10.
Senate Won’t Meet Tuesday Deadline for Fee-Fix
(Matching tags: physician fee fix,Sustainable Growth Rate,Medicare,CMS) The Senate will not vote on a proposed Medicare physician fee-fix before Tuesday, when CMS will have to begin processing bills with a 21.3 percent cut, according to a report by the Hill. ... -
11.
Medicare to Start Claiming Share of Malpractice Settlements Next Year
(Matching tags: CMS,Medicare,malpractice,reporting) More payments from liability settlements will start flowing into CMS coffers next year, when Medicare managers begin to require reports on all injury payments, according to a report by the Legal News. ... -
12.
Senate Democrats Want to Add Physician Fee-Fix to Tax Bill
(Matching tags: CMS,Medicare,physician compensation,House,fee fix) The Senate Democratic leadership wants to add the three-and-a-half-year Medicare physician fee-fix into its tax extenders bill, according to a report by the Hill. ... -
13.
One-Quarter of Hospital Patients Readmitted Within Two Years
(Matching tags: Medicaid,Medicare,AHRQ,readmissions) One-quarter of all hospital patients were readmitted one or more times for the same condition within a two-year period, according to a release by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. -
14.
Health Law's Controversial Payment Board Holds Promise But May Backfire
(Matching tags: healthcare reform,reimbursement,Medicare) The Independent Payment Advisory Board created by the health reform law is a promising way to preserve the Medicare program and halt skyrocketing medical inflation, but it may not elicit its expected savings ... -
15.
Almost One in Five Physicians Limit Medicare Patients in Their Practices
(Matching tags: AMA,Medicare,physician fee schedule,advertising) A new AMA survey has found that 17 percent of physicians are limiting the number of Medicare patients in their practices, partly due to the on-and-off-again possibility that their Medicare fees would drop ... -
16.
CMS Launches State-Based Multi-Payor Medical Home Demonstration
(Matching tags: Medicare,quality,primary care,medical home,pilot) HHS and CMS announced a new state-based Multi-payer Advanced Primary Care Practice Demonstration project, in which Medicare will join Medicaid and private insurers to pilot state-based efforts promoting ... -
17.
Employees at UCLA's Olive View Hospital Investigated for Accepting Kickbacks
(Matching tags: California,Medicare,kickbacks,Los Angeles,Medi-Cal,gifts,Olive View-UCLA,nursing home) ... nursing home operators in exchange for discharging Medicare and Medi-Cal patients to their facilities, according to a report by the LA Times. ... -
18.
New Study Shows Shorter Lengths of Stay for Heart Failure Patients, Unclear Effect on Outcomes
(Matching tags: Medicare,quality,heart failure,readmission) A study of Medicare patients hospitalized for heart failure between 1993-2006 showed shorter lengths of stay and lower rates of in-hospital mortality but higher readmission rates. The study was published ... -
19.
Medicare Disparity Payments to Hospitals by State for FY 2011
(Matching tags: CMS,hospitals,New York,Medicare,disparity) Hospitals will get $150 million in extra federal payments in fiscal year 2011 to account for regional disparities in Medicare payments. Here is how CMS proposes to split up the money, showing the percentage ... -
20.
Cardiology False Claims Suit Jeopardizes Christ Hospital's Participation in Medicare, Medicaid
(Matching tags: False Claims Act,Medicare,reimbursements,Christ Hospital) Following a $108 million settlement to resolve a federal whistleblower case alleging improper financial incentives to cardiologists, Cincinnati's Christ Hospital may be excluded from Medicare and Medicaid, ... -
21.
Fee Cut Goes Into Effect, but CMS Holding Off Claims Processing
(Matching tags: Medicare,Senate,House,physician fee cut) The 21.3 percent Medicare physician fee cut automatically went into effect today, but CMS is instructing Medicare contractors to hold physicians' Medicare claims for the first 10 business days in June ... -
22.
House to Vote on Physician Fee-fix as Early as Tuesday
(Matching tags: physician fee fix,Medicare) As early as Tuesday, the House is expected to vote on a three-year Medicare physician fee fix, part of a $200 billion package of business tax breaks and aid for the jobless, according to a report by the ... -
23.
Congress Proposes Paying Generalists More Than Specialists in 3-Year Fee-Fix
(Matching tags: Medicare,physician fee schedule,primary care physicians,specialists,Congress) With only a week left before a 21.3 percent fee cut goes into effect, the Democratic leadership in Congress is proposing a three-year fix that would pay primary care physicians more than specialists for ... -
24.
With Deadline for Medicare Physician Fee Cut Looming, Congress Ready to Scrap Five-Year Fix
(Matching tags: physician fee fix,physician fee cut,Medicare) Congressional Democrats are ready to scrap a proposed five-year Medicare physician fee fix, meaning that Congress is back to passing month-by-month patches to keep a looming 21.3 percent fee cut from ... -
25.
More Than One-Third of California Inpatients Readmitted Within a Year
(Matching tags: California,Medicare,quality,readmissions) More than one-third of hospitalized Californians were readmitted to the hospital within a year, and Medicare and Medicaid patients had higher readmission rates than private-pay patients, according to a ... -
26.
Newly-Trained Physicians Treating the Poor in Texas Are Often Educated Abroad
(Matching tags: Medicaid,reimbursement,Medicare,physicians) Of some 1,500 physicians who received fast-track licenses in exchange for treating Texas' indigent patients, nearly 40 percent were trained at foreign schools, according to a report in the Fort Worth Star ... -
27.
Sharp Rise in Tests, Procedures in Cities Where Costs Were in Check
(Matching tags: healthcare reform,Medicare,healthcare costs,Utah,Intermountain healthcare) Many areas of the country that had low healthcare spending have been showing a sharp increase in the number of procedures and tests following introduction of new ASCs, cancer treatment centers and diagnostic ... -
28.
Nine Hospitals Agree to Pay More Than $9.4M to Resolve Kyphoplasty-Related False Claims Allegations
(Matching tags: hospitals,Medicare,kyphoplasty,false claims) Nine hospitals in seven states have agreed to pay the United States more than $9.4 million to settle allegations that they submitted false claims to Medicare related to kyphoplasty procedures performed ... -
29.
Texas Physicians Opting Out of Medicare at Higher Rate
(Matching tags: Medicare,Texas,opt out) About 100 to 200 Texas physicians each year are ending all involvement with Medicare, up from "less than a handful" per year in 2007, according to a report by the Houston Chronicle. ... -
30.
Plans for Five-Year Fee Fix Mired by Congress' Fear of Voter Backlash
(Matching tags: Medicare,physician fee schedule,Congress) Some Congressional leaders' hopes of finally passing a five-year Medicare physician fee fix could be dashed once again this month, as lawmakers prepare to avert a 21.3 percent fee cut on June 1, according ... -
31.
Debt Commission Could Target Medicare and Medicaid for Spending Cuts
(Matching tags: Medicaid,Medicare,budget,debt) At the first meeting of the bipartisan National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, members of the Obama administration indicated that Medicare and Medicaid are fair game for spending cuts ... -
32.
Diagnoses, Spending for Medicare Patients Vary Widely by Region
(Matching tags: Medicare,spending,diagnoses,regional variation) Physicians' diagnoses and overall spending levels for Medicare patients vary substantially across U.S. regions, according to two studies in the New England Journal of Medicine. ... -
33.
HHS Secretary Lists Reform Provisions About to Go Into Effect
(Matching tags: healthcare reform,Medicare,HHS,health insurance) A letter to congressional leaders from HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius lists the first provisions of the health reform law that will be carried out soon, according to a report by AHA News Now. -
34.
AHA Report: Bundled Payments Could Reduce Spending, Spur Quality Improvement
(Matching tags: Medicare,AHA,AHA Research Synthesis Report,bundled payments) The American Hospital Association has released the first in a series of AHA Research Synthesis Reports, which discusses the potential implications of bundled payments and addresses key areas for consideration ... -
35.
Following up on Heart-Failure Patients Reduces Readmission Rate
(Matching tags: Medicare,quality,readmissions) Hospitals that follow up within a week of discharge with patients who were hospitalized for heart failure have a lower 30-day readmission rate, according to a study in the Journal of the American Medical ... -
36.
CBO Says Medicare Physician Fee Fix More Expensive Than Previously Thought
(Matching tags: Medicare,CBO,physician fee fix) The Congressional Budget Office increased the projected cost of a permanent physician fee fix by 25 percent, perhaps making it more difficult for Congress to justify a long-term fix rather than passing ... -
37.
OIG Audit Finds Noridian Made $3M in Medicare Overpayments to Hospitals
(Matching tags: Medicare,OIG,overpayments,audit,Noridian) From 2003-2005, Noridian Administrative Services, which provides administrative services for the Medicare program, made $3 million in Medicare overpayments to hospitals for inpatient services and had failed ... -
38.
Colorado Hospital Tax to Expand Medicare, Raise Hospital Pay
(Matching tags: hospital tax,Medicare,Colorado,payments,Colorado Indigent Care) Colorado's recently passed tax on hospital inpatient and outpatient services is expected to raise $1.2 billion by fiscal year 2013, when it is fully implemented, as well as expand Medicare eligibility ... -
39.
Proposed Medicare Hospital Rates Could Benefit Devices
(Matching tags: CMS,hospitals,Medicare,medical devices) While CMS' new Medicare rate proposal would reduce hospital payments by 0.1 percent overall, it contains modest increases for procedures involving top cardiology and orthopedic devices, such as drug-coated ... -
40.
CMS Orders Intermediate Sanction to Aetna Effective April 21
(Matching tags: CMS,Medicare,Aetna,Medicare Part D,intermediate sanction) The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued a notice to Aetna on April 5 of the agency's intent to impose an intermediate sanction to ensure that Medicare beneficiaries continue to have access ... -
41.
Senate Passes Temporary Physician Fee-Fix, Will Delay Rate SGR Cuts Until June
(Matching tags: Medicare,Sustainable Growth Rate) The Senate has approved a temporary fix for the planned 21.3 percent Medicare physician fee cut that went into effect April 1, according to a report by the Washington Post. ... -
42.
Study: Frequent ED Patients Often Insured
(Matching tags: Medicaid,Medicare,emergency department,uninsured patients,frequent ED users) A study published in the March issue of the Annals of Emergency Medicine found that patients that use hospital emergency departments at least four times annually are most commonly white and have health ... -
43.
Hospitals Can Now Preview Medicare Quality Data
(Matching tags: Medicare,quality reporting,Hospital Compare) Hospitals in Medicare's inpatient and outpatient quality reporting programs can preview their data from April 9 through May 8 before it is placed on the Hospital Compare Web site in June for public viewing, ... -
44.
Five Charged in Tampa Area Pharmacy Fraud Scheme
(Matching tags: Medicaid,Medicare,Florida,indictment,healthcare fraud,sentencing,Rx Shop,Tricare) Jatin Patel, owner of Rx Shop, Rajnish Mehta, Satender Singh, Naresh Jain and Sachin Amin have been arrested and charged with fabricating prescriptions and submitting the claims to Medicaid, Medicare and ... -
45.
HealthGrades Study Shows Patient Safety Incidents Not Slowing, Cost $9 Billion
(Matching tags: Medicare,patient safety,HealthGrades,medical errors) In 2006-2008, there were nearly 1 million patient safety events among Medicare patients, costing $8.9 billion, according to a new study by healthcare ratings organization HealthGrades. The number of incidents ... -
46.
Survey: Surgeons Predict Physician Fee Cut Will Make It Impossible to Continue to Treat Medicare Patients
(Matching tags: Medicare,surgeons,physician fee cuts,Surgical Coalition) A survey of nearly 14,000 surgeons and anesthesiologists, members of the nation's Surgical Coalition, showed that less than one-third of physician currently participating in Medicare would be able to continue ... -
47.
California Cardiology Practice Selling Extra Services to Offset Medicare Cuts
(Matching tags: California,Medicare,convenience services,Pacific Heart Institute) To help offset cuts in Medicare fees, a 10-member cardiology group in Santa Monica, Calif., is offering patients convenience services as extra charges outside of Medicare, according to Kaiser Health News. ... -
48.
Urban Areas With High Value of Health Services Have Effective Hospital Management
(Matching tags: Medicare,Milliman,hospital management,value) A new Milliman study finds that effective hospital management can be contagious in some urban areas, producing an overall high value of medical services compared to price, according to a release by the ... -
49.
Physicians Have Until Tomorrow to Opt Out of Medicare
(Matching tags: CMS,Medicare,opt-out,physician fee cut) While Congress hems and haws over how it will handle the 21.2 percent (and growing) Medicare physician fee cut, physicians who are fed up with Congress' yearly drama over payments have a chance to opt ... -
50.
New Senate Bill Would Further Extend Fee Fix, Many Other Health Provisions
(Matching tags: Medicare,Max Baucus,Congress,COBRA,physician fee cut) Following up on Congress' one-month extension of the Medicare physician fee-fix, a new measure in the Senate would further extend the fee fix as well as federal assistance for state Medicaid programs and ...
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