Category: CMS

  • Big Changes Proposed for Evaluation and Management Services

    Big Changes Proposed for Evaluation and Management Services

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    It’s been more than 20 years since the 1997 revisions to Evaluation and Management guidelines, which focus mainly on physical examination. The 2019 proposed changes provide practitioners a choice in the basis of documenting E/M visits; alleviating the burdens and focusing attention on alternatives that better reflect the current practice of medicine. The implementation of…

  • Brookwood Baptist Medical Center Medicare Certification Extended

    Brookwood Baptist Medical Center Medicare Certification Extended

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    Brookwood Baptist Medical Center, the second largest hospital in the metro Birmingham area, received an 11th-hour reprieve Thursday night with regulators from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services accepted the facility’s action, thus allowing the hospital to continue its Medicare and Medicaid billing privileges. However, the facility is not out hot water just yet.…

  • CMS Publishes 2019 Physician Fee Schedule

    CMS Publishes 2019 Physician Fee Schedule

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    UPDATED JULY 27, 2018: CMS Overhauls Office Visit Pay In Proposed 2019 Physician Fee Rule CMS is proposing to overhaul how Medicare pays for office visits and how doctors document those visits in what Administrator Seema Verma said would be “one of the most significant reductions in provider burden ever taken by any administration.” The change,…

  • CMS Releases Proposed Rule for 2019 Medicare Quality Payment Program

    CMS Releases Proposed Rule for 2019 Medicare Quality Payment Program

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    On July 12, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released its proposed policies for Year 3 (2019) of the Quality Payment Program via the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Notice of Proposed Rulemaking. The provisions included in the NPRM are reflective of the feedback we received from many stakeholders, and continue to provide additional flexibilities to reduce burden…

  • CMS Rebrands Meaningful Use to Highlight New Changes

    CMS Rebrands Meaningful Use to Highlight New Changes

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    As part of the annual Medicare payment update proposal, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid along with the Trump Administration plan to rebrand Meaningful Use to reduce burdens and unnecessary regulations while emphasizing data sharing across providers. The new Meaningful Use program, now called “Promoting Interoperability,” aims to reduce reporting measures and initiate a stronger push…

  • Updates to 2017 Extreme and Uncontrollable Circumstances Policy for MIPS Clinicians

    Updates to 2017 Extreme and Uncontrollable Circumstances Policy for MIPS Clinicians

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    The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has updated its Extreme and Uncontrollable Circumstances policy for the 2017 Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) transition year to include counties affected by Hurricane Nate and additional counties affected by the California wildfires. CMS understands that living in an area where these disasters took place may impact your…

  • CMS Updates Open Payments Data

    CMS Updates Open Payments Data

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    On January 17, CMS updated the Open Payments dataset to reflect changes to the data that took place since the last publication on June 30, 2017. CMS updates the Open Payments data at least once annually to include updates from disputes and other data corrections made since the initial publication of the data. The refreshed…

  • Now Available: CMS Data Submission System for Clinicians in the Quality Payment Program

    Now Available: CMS Data Submission System for Clinicians in the Quality Payment Program

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    CMS Launches New Data Submission System for Clinicians in the Quality Payment Program On Tuesday, Jan. 2, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services launched a new data submission system for clinicians participating in the Quality Payment Program. Clinicians can now submit all of their 2017 Merit-based Incentive Payment System data through one platform on…

  • CMS Issues Final Rule on 2018 Medicare Reimbursement

    CMS Issues Final Rule on 2018 Medicare Reimbursement

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    The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has issued a final rule that includes updates to payment policies, payment rates, and quality provisions for services furnished under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) on or after Jan. 1, 2018. Background on the Physician Fee Schedule Payment is made under the PFS for services furnished by…

  • CMS Issues More Protections to Physicians from Health Plan Credit Card Fees

    CMS Issues More Protections to Physicians from Health Plan Credit Card Fees

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    In 2016 the Medical Association passed legislation to prevent physicians from unknowingly accepting virtual credit cards (VCC) and their hidden fees as a form of payment from health insurance companies and RCOs, even though the Medicaid RCO system in Alabama now appears to be defunct. Now, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has…