Physicians urged to preemptively file for meaningful use hardship exemptions Because of a delay in the publication of regulations governing the Medicare meaningful use program, physicians are being urged to preemptively file for a 2015 hardship exemption to avoid penalties in 2016. Physicians should apply for an exemption under the “extreme and uncontrollable circumstances” category, even if they are uncertain whether they will meet the program requirements this year. Doing so will not preclude physicians from receiving an incentive if they do meet meaningful use requirements, but applying can serve as a safety net in staving off a penalty. In order ... December 7, 2015 Medicare EHR, Meaningful Use, Medicare, CMS, Electronic Health Record 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMA urges Congress to fix EHR meaningful use program The California Medical Association, the American Medical Association and a coalition of medical societies are urging Congress to immediately reform stage 2 of the electronic health record (EHR) meaningful use program, and to delay stage 3. Frustrated with the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services' (CMS) refusal to fix the program, organized medicine has turned to Congress to make the necessary reforms before meaningful use drives physicians out of the Medicare program. “We are writing to express our strong concerns with the decision by the Obama Administration to move ahead ... November 9, 2015 Medi-Cal, Medicare CMS, EHR, Meaningful Use, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Medicare Regulatory Advocacy 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMS extends Physician Compare preview period The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has extended the Physician Compare preview to November 16, 2015, to allow more time for physicians to preview their data for the 2014 quality measures that will be reported on the Physician Compare website later this year. The Affordable Care Act required CMS to create a website that would allow consumers to search for and compare physicians and other health care professionals who provide Medicare services. That site—the "Physician Compare" website, initially launched in 2010—provides contact information, specialties and clinical training, hospital ... November 9, 2015 Medi-Cal, Medicare Medicare, Physician Compare, Physician Quality Reporting System, PQRS, CMS 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMS clarifies ICD-10 grace period guidance In early July, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that for a period of one year, it will allow for flexibility in claims payment, auditing and quality reporting processes as the medical community gains experience using the new ICD-10 code set. CMS specifically clarified its statement that during the 12 months after ICD-10 implementation, contractors would not deny claims based solely on the specificity of the ICD-10 diagnosis code. However, according to the latest FAQ, claims will be rejected if they do not contain a valid ICD-10 ... August 28, 2015 Managed Care, Medi-Cal, Medicare CMS, ICD-10, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMS to hold webinars for providers on Physician Compare website The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will host a series of one-hour webinars about public quality reporting and the Physician Compare website. The Affordable Care Act required CMS to create a website that would allow consumers to search for and compare physicians and other health care professionals who provide Medicare services. That site—the "Physician Compare" website, initially launched in 2010—provides contact information, specialties and clinical training, hospital affiliations and group practice information. In 2014, the website also began phasing in physician quality data from the Physician Quality Reporting System ... August 17, 2015 Managed Care, Medi-Cal, Medicare CMS, Quality Reporting, Webinars, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMS releases proposed 2016 Medicare physician fee schedule The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released the 2016 proposed Medicare physician payment rule. The rule reflects the 0.5 percent increase in payment as of July 1, 2015, and the additional 0.5 percent increase in payment on January 1, 2016, recently adopted by Congress. Overall, Medicare will pay physicians nearly $700 million more in 2016 than they will have paid in 2015. Most notable in the payment rule is CMS’ proposal to pay for advance care planning and end-of-life counseling. The fee schedule would establish two new ... July 29, 2015 Medicare CMS, Medicare, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services 0 0 Comment Read More »
Senate panel pushes HHS to delay stage 3 meaningful use The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee is asking the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to delay the stage 3 meaningful use rules, its chairman, Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) said during a news conference Thursday. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued proposed rules for stage 3 in March 2015. What's concerning providers is that this stage differs from the others in the degree to which a medical provider, to fulfill its requirements, must depend on other providers to document electronically that they have fulfilled ... July 29, 2015 Medi-Cal, Medicare CMS, Meaningful Use, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMS to begin provider reimbursement for end-of-life care On July 8, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the first proposed update to the Medicare physician payment schedule since the repeal of the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula through the Medicare Access and Children’s Health Insurance Plan (CHIP) Reauthorization Act of 2015. One of the biggest changes in the CMS proposal is the assignment of codes to pay providers for end-of-life consultations. In addition the department would make advance care planning “an optional element” of a beneficiary's annual wellness visit. The American Medical Association (AMA) lauded ... July 14, 2015 Medicare CMS, End of Life Issures, Medicare, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMS publishes 2014 open payment data On June 30, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published the 2014 Open Payments data of financial transactions between drug and medical device makers and health care providers. The data includes information about 11.4 million financial transactions attributed to over 600,000 physicians and more than 1,100 teaching hospitals nationwide, totaling $6.49 billion. The Sunshine Act requires drug and medical device manufacturers and group purchasing organizations to report their financial interactions with licensed physicians – including consulting fees, travel reimbursements, research grants and other gifts. Last year’s inaugural launch of ... July 14, 2015 Medi-Cal, Medicare CMS, Physician Payments Sunshine Act, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMS announces changes to make Medicare ICD-10 transition less disruptive for physicians The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that it will provide a one-year grace period during which it will allow for flexibility in the claims payment, auditing and quality reporting processes as the medical community gains experience using the new ICD-10 code set. The ICD-10 implementation date of October 1, 2015, has not changed. The changes announced include: Claim denials: Medicare review contractors will not deny claims based solely on the specificity of the ICD-10 diagnosis code as long as a valid code from the right family of codes ... July 13, 2015 Managed Care, Medicare CMS, ICD-10, Medicare, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services 0 0 Comment Read More »
