AAPC News

CMS Releases Part B Proposed Rule

renee — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 20:15:55 +0000

A proposed rule that addresses Part B payment policies paid under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) went on display today in the Federal Register. The proposed rule with comment period includes several policy changes intended to help offset a much-anticipated payment cut in 2010. Physicians and nonphysician practioners (NPPs) paid under the MPFS are facing a projected 21.5 percent [...]

AAPC Comments on Quality Reporting

admin — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 14:20:48 +0000

The National Quality Forum (NQF) is seeking comments on its report, Health IT Enablement of Quality Measurement – The Quality Data Set (QDS) and Dataflow. The deadline for comments is June 30. If you would like to read the report or comment upon it, links are provided below. AAPC sent the following comment to NQF out [...]

Defining EHR “Meaningful Use” Begins

renee — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 15:12:25 +0000

The Health Information Technology (HIT) Policy Committee met June 16 to begin the process of defining “meaningful use” of electronic health records (EHRs). According to a Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) news release: The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (the Recovery Act) provides Medicare and Medicaid incentive payments to eligible providers, such [...]

Wisconsin ASCs Face Taxing Times

renee — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 15:09:32 +0000

Wisconsin’s 60 ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs) may soon incur a tax that would raise state revenue $44 million over two years, Outpatient Surgery reports in its June 2 e-weekly newsletter. Details of the tax remain sketchy, says Eric Ostermann of the Association of Wisconsin Surgery Centers. ASCs are expected to be taxed on their gross patient revenues. This would allow the state [...]

Service Level Ties Allergists, Pulmonologists to Codes

renee — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 15:08:51 +0000

Allergies and asthma often go hand-in-hand, so a patient suffering from both conditions may need to see more than one specialist. With the allergy season in full swing, now is a good time for allergy and pulmonology practices to familiarize themselves with Medicare policy to ensure concurrent care reimbursement. Medicare reimbursement for concurrent care is tied directly [...]

President Obama Speaks to AMA House

renee — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 15:08:23 +0000

President Barack Obama spoke at the Annual Meeting of the American Medical Association (AMA) House of Delegates held in Chicago, Ill. June 15 to reiterate his stance on health care reform. Speaking to an audience representing the nation’s physicians, the president reaffirmed his health care reform goals to “eliminate waste, reduce costs, and improve quality.” We can [...]

Bartering for Health Care Rising

renee — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 15:03:35 +0000

Amid a flailing economy, the age-old practice of bartering is making a come-back in the health care industry. Individuals, business owners, and physicians benefit, some say. CNN reports that bartering is booming and that “business owners with an eye toward cutting costs are increasingly viewing bartering as a viable option for obtaining medical services for themselves [...]

FESC Demonstration Project Payment Updated

renee — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 15:01:22 +0000

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently updated its payment method policy for a select group of clinics eligible to participate in the Frontier Extended Stay Clinic (FESC) demonstration project. Under the FESC demonstration project, participating clinics will be allowed to keep patients for extended stays in situations where weather or other circumstances prevent transfer. [...]

HEAT “Takes Down” Medicare Fraud Ring

renee — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 14:59:54 +0000

Federal agents arrested 53 people in Detroit, Miami, Denver, and New York City, June 24, for allegedly scheming to defraud the government of more than $50 million in false Medicare claims. Physicians, medical assistants, health care executives, and beneficiaries were among the accused for various Medicare fraud offenses, including conspiracy to defraud the Medicare program, [...]

CMS Posts New GEM I-9 to I-10 FAQ

renee — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 14:58:46 +0000

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) posted the second in its series of articles about ICD-10-CM general equivalency maps (GEM) June 3. This latest article answers a number of frequently asked questions about GEM. What is the purpose of GEM; who should use them; and what exactly are they? Get answers to those questions [...]