Tag Archive | "Medicare"
Health Reform Law Offers Hospices a Mixed Bag
$10M cut in Medicare reimbursements may trigger reduced services. Asbestosis Despite the hard-hitting $10 million decrease in Medicare reimbursements this year, hospice and palliative care facilities cling to the recently passed health care reform act for some hope. PPACA reduced…
Continue reading...AMA: Doctors Abandon Medicare System Out of Frustration
Monday, May 10, 2010
A bad case of SGR-fatigue plagues many practices. With low reimbursement rates, exceptionally taxing amount of paperwork, and sky-high potential penalties, more physicians are choosing to bail out of the Medicare system. Beneficiaries already have trouble finding doctors, according to…
Continue reading...HHS Must Draft New Regs on Visitation, Advance Directives at Hospitals
Monday, April 26, 2010
Hospitals that receive federal dollars must report on treatment of LGBT patients, create new policies to allow designated visitors. Just in time for National Health Care Decisions Day — a national campaign that aims to encourage people to complete…
Continue reading...Would an ALF violate anti-kickback laws by providing activities sessions?
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Question: Would it violate anti-kickback laws if an assisted living facility offers its Medicare residents “activities sessions,” such as games, cards, bowling, etc.? Answer: It might, according to a health care lawyer. “The risk would depend on the intended recipients…
Continue reading...OIG’s New ‘Compendium’ Reveals Possible Part A& B Audit Targets
Monday, March 22, 2010
The OIG has combined the old red book and orange book to come up with a “Compendium of Unimplemented Recommendations,” the latest of which was published earlier this month. The document notes outstanding recommendations to save money in Medicare…
Continue reading...Round-Up of the RACs’ New Issues
Monday, February 22, 2010
Tracheostomies, oxygen equipment are on the hit lists. The RACs recently posted a round of issues concerning procedures that were performed from Oct. 1, 2007 to the present. Region A: Diversified Collection Services (Connecticut, Delaware,…
Continue reading...CERT: CMS Clamps Down on Physician Signature Requirement
Monday, February 15, 2010
CERT results reveal that contractors are now denying claims that would have squeaked past auditors in 2008. CMS has released its annual error report, and the results are startling — a 7.8 percent error rate in fiscal year 2009, compared to…
Continue reading...Prepare for Increased Fraud Enforcement with Medicaid Compliance Plan
Monday, January 11, 2010
Medicaid compliance differs from Medicare compliance in 3 key ways. Given that both the feds and the states are ramping up their efforts in the area of Medicaid fraud enforcement, it’s time for your practice…
Continue reading...Wrong Address on File? MACs Can Repeal Your Billing Rights
Monday, October 19, 2009
CMS instructs MACs to suss out sham health care operations. A favorite tactic of some Medicare fraudsters is to set up ‘dummy’ storefront operations that have billing addresses, but no real health care going on. The…
Continue reading...Can a provider pay patients for referrals?
Monday, October 5, 2009
Question: I know that there are restrictions on gifts that providers who receive Medicare or Medicaid payments can give other doctors for referrals, and they cannot pay them for such referrals. But are providers restricted from paying their…
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Monday, May 17, 2010
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