NAMSS asks CMS for clarity on privileging, staff questions
In an April 8 letter to Marilyn Tavenner, acting administrator for Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the National Association of Medical Staff Services (NAMSS) sought clarification of...
View ArticleQ/A: Did CMS add any codes to the conditionally bilateral list?
Q: Did CMS add any codes to the conditionally bilateral list as part of the April OPPS update?A: CMS added the following CPT® codes to the conditionally bilateral list: 36222, selective catheter...
View ArticleCMS releases memo to survey agencies regarding sequestration
On April 5, CMS released a memo titled “FY2013 Sequestration Adjustments for Survey & Certification (S&C)” to all state survey directors. According to the memo, CMS is making certain...
View ArticleThree security tips to help safeguard PHI
Many healthcare organizations face the challenge of protecting patient records and reducing the stress that results from a data breach.Use these three tips to help safeguard your organization’s...
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Understanding adverse drug events
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), adverse drug events (ADE)—injury resulting from the use of medication—result in over 700,000 visits to hospital emergency departments...
View ArticleNote from the instructor: CMS releases additional guidance on Part A to B...
This week’s note from the instructor is written by Debbie Mackaman, RHIA, CHCO, regulatory specialist for HCPro, Inc.Over the past few weeks, CMS has released several documents regarding the rule...
View ArticleDisaster response plans crucial in responding to Boston Marathon explosions
In the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings, many of the city’s hospitals employed their emergency plans, calling in additional personnel and placing facilities on temporary lock-down. The event left...
View ArticleCrews dedicated to reducing C. diff have significant impact on infection rates
Cleaning crews that are specifically educated in attacking Clostridium difficile (C. diff) can dramatically reduce the presence of organisms in infected room through the use of enhanced disinfection...
View ArticleHospital groups question medical staff rule from CMS
Several hospital groups are objecting to a CMS proposal that would “remove the ability of hospital systems and their medical staffs to make their own determinations about the optimal medical staff...
View ArticlePreparedness, Teamwork from Nursing Teams in Boston
At 8:15 on Monday night, I got the phone call I’d been waiting for all afternoon.“I’m OK,” my friend said. “I’m on my way home.”One of my best friends, an ED nurse at Boston Children’s Hospital, had...
View ArticleQ&A: Why are we receiving errors for skin substitute HCPCS codes?
Q: We have a wound care center that applies skin substitutes. We have started receiving error messages regarding HCPCS codes C9367 and Q4129. We have validated the correct reporting of these codes...
View ArticleCMS releases fact sheet on Jimmo v. Sebelius settlement
As MDS 3.0 Insiderpreviously reported, a settlement in the Medicare Improvement Standard case, Jimmo v. Sebelius, was approved on January 24, 2013.Now CMS has released fact sheet that gives an overview...
View ArticlePediatric NPs Should Educate, Advocate for Children’s Mental Health
The National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP) has approved a revised NAPNAP position statement on Integration of Mental Health Care in Pediatric Primary Care Settings, it reports....
View ArticleMandatory glove wearing may reduce risk of hospital-acquired infections
Infection rates are reduced when physicians are required to wear gloves, according to a study published in the journal Pediatrics. Researchers examined the medical records of children admitted to the...
View ArticleMedical interns spend too much time on paperwork, too little time on direct...
Medical interns are spending a surprisingly small percentage of their time directly caring for patients, according to a study published online in the Journal of General Internal Medicine. In a study of...
View ArticleQ/A: Can we use an L code to satisfy neurostimulator device edit?
Q: We are using a neurostimulator device that is reportable with HCPCS L8685, but the OCE edits require a C code. Can we use the C code to satisfy the device edit?A: Beginning April 1, you can use the...
View ArticleCMS reaffirms ICD-10 implementation date
October 1, 2014 is the ICD-10 implementation date and CMS is sticking to it. Denise Buenning, MsM, director of CMS’s administrative simplification group in the office of E-health standards and service,...
View ArticleCMS issues proposed rule to increase rewards for reporting of fraud and abuse
On Wednesday, CMS issued a proposed rule that would increase incentives for people to report information that leads to a recovery of funds from individuals and entities that have or are engaged in...
View ArticleICD-10 readiness remains a hot topic
AHIMA held its annual ICD-10-CM/PCS Summit last week in Baltimore and not surprisingly, presenters and attendees spent a lot of time talking about ICD-10 readiness. The picture that emerged from the...
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Changes to OASIS are coming: OASIS-C1 to be proposed
According to a presentation at the National Association for Home Care & Hospice’s annual March on Washington conference, CMS will be publishing a Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) package with a...
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