Doctors and nurses go for the jugular online
It turns out that it isn’t just teenagers who dish out and endure online vitriol: Healthcare providers do it, too. That’s why a recent Health Affairs blog post is calling on healthcare providers to be...
View ArticleQ&A: Are new pass-through device categories coming?
Q: Has CMS established any new pass-through device categories for October?A: Yes, Transmittal 2775 was published August 23, 2013, and includes the October updates for the OPPS. In that transmittal, CMS...
View ArticleCMS releases guidance about missing MDS 3.0 discharge assessments
On August 23, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a memo sent to state survey agency directors about MDS 3.0 discharge assessments that have not been completed and/or...
View ArticleCMS releases new and updated FAQs for the EHR Incentive Programs
by Jaclyn Fitzgerald, Online editor CMS recently released four new and five updated FAQs for the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs.The new FAQs include guidance on the meaningful use stage...
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OIG recommends more frequent hospice recertification surveys
In a recent memo to Marilyn Tavenner, Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) recommends increasing the frequency of hospice...
View ArticleQ&A: Should we wait to bill flu vaccine?
Q: We have started administering the flu vaccine using Fluzone, but the CPT® code has a status indicator of E (items or services not covered under OPPS) and our claims are being rejected. Do we have to...
View ArticleOIG releases new report on RAC program and improper payments
On September 3, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) released a report titled, “Medicare Recovery Audit Contractors and CMS's Actions To Address Improper Payments, Referrals of Potential Fraud, and...
View ArticleNational Health IT Week: September 16-20
by Jaclyn Fitzgerald, Associate editorThe eighth annual National Health IT (NHIT) Week kicks off today and ends September 20. The week-long celebration is intended to recognize the value of health IT...
View ArticleQ&A: Should we be reimbursed for skin substitutes?
Q: We are using Mediskin® and E-Z Derm® xenograft skin substitutes for wound care, but the business officetold us that Medicare is not reimbursing for these products. We are using them according to the...
View ArticleCDC releases new report on germ threats in health care
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a report that gives a snapshot of the threats posed by antibiotic-resistant germs in health care. According to the CDC, the report...
View ArticleOCR and ONC release model notices of privacy practices
by Jaclyn Fitzgerald, Associate editor The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) recently teamed up to develop model notices...
View ArticleCMS Issues Changes to Home Health Beneficiary Notices
On September 6, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released change requests (CR) 8403 and 8404, which detail changes to the Home Health Advanced Beneficiary Notice (HHABN) and...
View ArticleQ&A: When will LCDs be updated for ICD-10?
Q: Any word yet on when the LCDs will be updated to reflect ICD-10 codes?A: Yes. CMS publishedTransmittal 1293stating that LCDs and Articles with updates due to the ICD-10 implementation must be...
View ArticleMDS 3.0 RAI User’s Manual Update: Expert analysis
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released the MDS 3.0 RAI User’s Manual v1.11 Replacement Manual Pages and Change Tables and the RAI Manual v1.11 and Change Tables. The...
View ArticleFlu season is here! Are you prepared?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, last year’s influenza (flu) season’s overall deaths attributed to flu and pneumonia were the highest in nearly a decade, and people 65 years...
View ArticleCMS guidance addresses reviews of inpatient admissions
by Jaclyn Fitzgerald, Associate editor CMS recently released guidance addressing three key questions surrounding the review of inpatient admissions in relation to the 2-midnight rule. In a more notable...
View ArticleQ&A: Why did the MAC return a claim for a covered drug administration?
Q: Our MAC has recently updated the self-administered drug (SAD) listing and removed Orencia® and Simponi® Aria from the list. These are now considered covered services. We reported the drug...
View ArticleOIG releases report on Medicare A and B redeterminations
Earlier this month, the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) released a report titled, “The First Level of the Medicare Appeals Process, 2002-2012: Volume, Outcomes, and Timeliness”. According to the...
View ArticleInvestigation reveals Veterans Administration privacy breaches
by Jaclyn Fitzgerald, Associate editorVeterans Administration (VA) employees or contractors are responsible for 14,215 HIPAA privacy violations at 167 facilities from 2010 to May 31, 2013, according to...
View ArticleQ&A: How do we resolve edits for needle placements?
Q: Some of our patients have multiple biopsies or aspirations during a procedure. The physician typically uses either ultrasound (US) or computed tomography (CT) guidance. We have been reporting the...
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