topic: Medicare
Get Ready for a Successful Health Plan Audit By Shanti Wilson
Depending on which types of patients you serve, your health plan audit may be made by many regulatory entities. Your compliance department should be notified when an audit will be conducted. If you do not have a compliance department, your point of contact will typically be in your C-Suite, such as your CEO or CFO.
Determining PAC Networks with Medicare's New CJR Program By Debra Mathias
As seen in Healthcare Informatics. Hospitals participating in Medicare’s mandatory new Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (CJR) reimbursement model need to develop a high-quality preferred post-acute care (PAC) network to which they can discharge high-risk CJR patients. Hospitals can do so either independently or by using an external consultant. The PAC must, per CMS, have a minimum 3-star rating or reimbursement will be negatively impacted. By developing a PAC preferred provider network based on objective criteria and supported...
Navigate Effectively through Medicare’s CJR Program – An Overview By Debra Mathias
As seen in Healthcare Informatics. Experience is no substitute for expediency. Consider the example of Edward John Smith, Captain of the maiden (and final) voyage of the RMS Titanic in 1912. Despite being one of the world’s most experienced sea captains, Smith failed to change the Titanic’s course or reduce speed, even though he knew his ship was headed straight into a massive iceberg zone. We all know how that story ends. Similarly, despite a massive sea change in health...
ACOs: Implementing and Sustaining Value-Based Change By Bob Wadsworth
As seen in Health Intelligence Network. Just as “Rome wasn’t built in a day,” neither is an efficient, sustainable, and physician-focused accountable care organization (ACO). Instead, expect to embrace a stair-step approach to making the necessary changes in your care delivery and administrative practices. Competency and capability development is always multi-dimensional, so consider these five steps as a benchmark for your organization’s critical thinking on ACO development. Introduction In California, we’re now in what could be termed the “second generation”...
Need to Know: Key Provisions in the 2016 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule By Emily Richmond
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has released the 2016 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule proposed rule, the first proposed fee schedule updates since the repeal of the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula by the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA). The 2016 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule proposals reflect a focus on quality program-specific provisions, and align with CMS and Congress’ stated intent to continue shifting the Medicare program towards a system that rewards high-quality care...
Meaningful Use Stage 2 Extension
Is your organization prepared to meet the 2014 Meaningful Use requirements? Effective January 2014, regardless of stage, eligible Hospitals and Providers may be able to report for meaningful use demonstration. Meaningful Use, a set of standards established by the CMS Electronic Health Records (EHR) Incentive Program, promotes the effective use of the EHRs that optimally enhances patient care. Meaningful Use demonstration is phased into 3 stages, with only Stages 1 and 2 active. On December 6, 2013,
Adjust Your PQRS Reporting Mechanism
All physicians who bill to Medicare will incur an automatic 1.5% penalty on all Medicare reimbursements in 2015 if they do not sign up to submit clinical quality measures (CQM) through the Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) by October 15, 2013. The penalty increases to 2.0% in subsequent years. Further, in 2015, CMS will begin applying a “value-based modifier” (VBM) to the clinical quality measures (CQMs) for physician groups of 100+, which will result in an automatic 1.0% penalty on all...