Smart phones, social networks and internet applications help us communicate with family, friends and colleagues, but they can do so much more to improve our lives. Advances in technology and connectivity offer new methods for monitoring and accessing information about our health and well-being. Earlier this year, CMS Administrator Seema Verma announced that the Centers [...] Read More
Tweet On August 2, 2019, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the final FY 2020 payment rule for hospital inpatient departments and long-term care hospitals. The rule includes the payment update for both types of facilities as well as policies for new technology add-on payments, graduate medical education, and the hospital wage [...] Read More
Tweet On July 31, 2019, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the final FY 2020 hospice payment rule. The proposal finalizes an overall payment increase for hospices as well as rebased rates for three levels of care. Provisions of this final rule take effect on October 1, 2019. Per Diem rates rebased [...] Read More
Tweet On July 30, 2019, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released their Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Final Rule for Fiscal Year 2020. Overall, CMS estimates that total payment to SNFs will increase by $851 million in FY 2020. Major finalized provisions within the rule include expansion of the window to complete an [...] Read More
Tweet Today, CMS released the final fiscal year (FY) 2020 Inpatient Psychiatric Facility (IPF) prospective payment system rule. The rule rebalances the market basket used to update IPF payments annually, implements rate updates beginning October 1, 2019, and adds an additional measure to the IPF quality reporting program. CMS estimates that the payment updates will [...] Read More
On July 16, 2019, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released proposed changes to requirements for Long Term Care facilities. Comments are due September 16, 2019. CMS proposes changes to Long Term Care (LTC) facility requirements and estimates administrative cost savings of $616 million annually over five years. As part of the Administration's [...] Read More
Tweet On July 11, 2019, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released the CY 2020 proposed payment rule for home health agencies (HHAs). The rule outlines the proposed payment update for HHAs for CY 2020 as well as proposals related to episode of care length, quality reporting, and the home infusion benefit. Comments on [...] Read More
At the end of June, the Alliance for Aging Research (the “Alliance”) announced the results of a Medicare claims study which found that families and state Medicaid programs, not Medicare, are burdened with the majority of costs associated with Alzheimer’s disease (Alzheimer’s) The study, conducted by the Alliance and Milliman, was published in the July issue of Journal of [...] Read More
On May 28, 2019, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the Medicare and Medicaid Programs’ Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) Final Rule which finalizes the policies proposed in the August 2016 PACE proposed rule. Specifically, the final rule addresses application and waiver procedures, sanctions, enforcement actions and termination, administrative [...] Read More
This evening, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a final rule entitled “Modernizing Part D and Medicare Advantage to Lower Drug Prices and Reduce Out-of-Pocket Expenses.” In total, the agency estimates that beneficiaries will save $62 million over 10 years in out-of-pocket spending, and Medicare program costs will be reduced by an [...] Read More