Articles related to CMS

Page Dunlap enjoyed owning Fowler Pharmacy in Hartselle. Her customers were her neighbors. They trusted her, and they knew that she was happy to take the time to answer any questions they might have.

Only about half of eligible Medicare beneficiaries in 2017 were enrolled in hospice care at their time of death, and most accessed this specialized care (40 percent) for only the last two weeks, according to the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization.

CMS recently updated regulations for Programs for All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) to strengthen protections for participants and allow more operational flexibility for providers.

Starting January 1st, Medicare will put the competitive bidding program (CBP) on durable medical equipment on hiatus. For patients and businesses alike, this opens the door to easier access and a larger market in Birmingham for the sales and rentals of anything from nebulizers to prosthetics to home hospital beds.

CMS is proposing big changes in the physician fee schedule and quality payment program for 2019

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) unveiled a new protocol this year that shifts the focus from punitive to educational in terms of proper coding of Medicare claims.

"The new changes in the 2018 reporting period are actually not terribly drastic," says Joni Wyatt, MHA, MHIA, CPHIMS, FHIMSS, with Kassouf & Co about the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS).

Starting in 2019, Medicare's push toward value-based reimbursements will be within reach of the finish line. "It can sound terrifying," says Joni Wyatt, MHA, MHIA, CPHIMS, FHIMSS with Kassouf & Co. "But most practices have already done the work."

On September 8^th, Medicare announced two more ways to participate in the upcoming shift to the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA). "There are four different payment programs now, since the release of the pick-you-pace model," says Carrie Gulledge, RHIA, director of EHR with MediSys. "They allow providers to test the waters with their toe or jump all in."

On April 4, another legal layer to introducing Regional Care Organizations (RCO) into Alabama officially hit the books. Senate Bill 459 set the stage for publication of rules and other actions that will transform the state’s Medicaid Agency from a fee-for-service system into a capitated, coordinated care model.