Medicare Administrative Contractor (“MAC”) CGS announced that beginning in October 2020, it would conduct post-payment reviews of hospice general inpatient (GIP) claims. Specifically, the reviews will be conducted if the claims were for 7 or more days of service, utilized revenue code 0656, and were submitted before March 1, 2020.…
Recently, the White House announced it will not postpone implementation of the hospital price transparency rule, set to take effect on January 1, 2021. Based on President Trump’s Executive Order on Improving Price and Quality Transparency in Healthcare, issued on June 24, 2019, CMS released the “Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC)…
On October 6, 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released guidance giving hospitals until December 9, 2020 to comply with COVID-19 reporting requirements or risk termination from the Medicare and Medicaid Programs. CMS also released reporting requirements for influenza data, which are currently optional but which CMS…
Payment for the Medicare home health benefit depends on a series of complex criteria that must be supported by documentation in the medical record, including a face-to-face encounter, homebound status, and need for skilled services. The requirements for home health documentation change frequently and give rise to some of the…
On Wednesday, September 30, 2020, the Senate passed the bipartisan government funding bill that will relax Medicare loan repayments in the wake of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (“COVID-19”) pandemic. The House passed this bill the week prior to the Senate vote, and the President signed the bill into law the…
On September 25th 2020, and in response to the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (“COVID-19”) pandemic, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) announced a new Quick Start Guide and expedited review process to make it easier for laboratories pursuing Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (“CLIA”) certification to offer COVID testing. These…
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced on September 22, 2020 that the Medicare Prior Authorization Model for Repetitive, Scheduled Non-Emergent Ambulance Transport (RSNAT) will be expanded nationwide. Under this system, Medicare pays ambulances for the transport of patients to their scheduled, non-emergency healthcare appointments. The prior authorization…
Due to the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (“COVID-19”) pandemic, many Michigan residents have found themselves without any health insurance coverage. On September 15, 2020, the Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services (“DIFS”) released a press statement informing Michigan residents that extended health insurance enrollment periods are available for qualified residents…
On September 13, 2020, President Trump issued an executive order targeting prescription drug process paid by Medicare under Part B and Part D. The order, titled “Executive Order on Lowering Drug Prices by Putting Americans First,” outlines a new policy that Medicare should not pay more for Part B or…
In March 2020, Congress passed the CARES Act to provide relief for Americans during the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (“COVID-19”) pandemic. Part of the CARES Act included an expansion of the Advanced and Accelerated Payments Programs. The Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) stated that this expansion would go on…