Medicaid - Articles
CMS Expands Telehealth AgainOctober 20th, 2020 - Wyn Staheli, Director of Research
On October 14, 2020, CMS announced further changes to expand telehealth coverage. Eleven (11) new codes have been added to their list of covered services bringing the current total to 144 services. The new services include some neurostimulator analysis and programming services as well as some cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation services.
Stay out of Trouble — Understand the Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB) ProgramOctober 7th, 2020 - Wyn Staheli, Director of Research
To assist low-income Medicare beneficiaries, CMS created the Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB) program; a Medicaid benefit which pays for Medicare deductibles, coinsurance, or copays for any Medicare-covered items and services for Medicare Part A, Part B, and Medicare Advantage (Part C). Providers/suppliers are prohibited from billing premiums and cost sharing to Medicare beneficiaries who are enrolled in QMB.
Changes in Medicare Advantage and Part DJune 2nd, 2020 - Christine Taxin
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services finalized several changes in Medicare Advantage and Part D on Friday.
The Trump administration has finalized several changes in Medicare Advantage (MA) and Part D in anticipation of bid submissions on June 1.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released Friday that includes ...
More Telehealth Changes Announced by CMSApril 2nd, 2020 - Wyn Staheli, Director of Research
On March 31, 2020, CMS announced further changes to their telehealth program in response to this unprecedented public health emergency (PHE). See this article for further information as well as references & links to CMS information
Changes to Portable X-Ray RequirementsNovember 19th, 2019 - Wyn Staheli, Director of Research
On September 30, 2019, CMS published a final rule which made changes to portable x-ray services requirements as found in the law.
Now is Your Chance to Speak Up! Tell CMS What You Think!June 13th, 2019 - Chris Woolstenhulme, QCC, CMCS, CPC, CMRS
CMS is asking for your input, we all have ideas on how we would change healthcare documentation requirements and get rid of the burdensome requirements and regulations if it were up to us, so go ahead, speak up! Patients over Paperwork Initiative is being looked at to help significantly cut ...
What is Medical Necessity and How Does Documentation Support It?April 23rd, 2019 - Aimee Wilcox, CPMA, CCS-P, CMHP, CST, MA, MT
We recently fielded the question, “What is medical necessity and how do I know if it's been met?"
The AMA defines medical necessity as:
It is important to understand that while the AMA provides general guidance on what they consider medically necessary services, these particular coding guidelines are generic and may be ...
HHS Proposes Significant Changes to Patient Access RulesFebruary 11th, 2019 - Wyn Staheli, Director of Research
In a significant announcement on February 11, 2019, HHS proposed new rules aimed at improving interoperability of electronic health information. This announcement was made in support of the MyHealthEData initiative which was announced by the Trump administration on March 6, 2018. The goal of that initiative was to break down ...
Wolters Kluwer Drug PricingOctober 17th, 2018 - Find-A-Code
Wolters Kluwer provides unit and package pricing for multiple drug price types: Average Wholesale Price (AWP), Wholesale Acquisition Cost (WAC), Direct Price (DP), Manufacturer's Suggested Wholesale Price (SWP), Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Federal Upper Limit (CMS FUL), Average Average Wholesale Price (AAWP), Generic Equivalent Average Price (GEAP). Average...
Dual Medicare-Medicaid Billing ProblemsJuly 12th, 2018 - Wyn Staheli, Director of Research
It is important to keep in mind that Medicaid is run at a state level so there can be some differences when it comes to coverage. However, the rules regarding balance billing of covered services is set at the federal level. The law states (emphasis added):
A state plan must provide ...
Dual Medicare-Medicaid Billing ProblemsJuly 12th, 2018 - Wyn Staheli, Director of Research
It is important to keep in mind that Medicaid is run at a state level so there can be some differences when it comes to coverage. However, the rules regarding balance billing of covered services is set at the federal level. The law states (emphasis added):
A state plan must provide ...
Medicaid ReviewsFebruary 23rd, 2017 - Wyn Staheli
All federal healthcare programs are required to implement programs to prevent and reduce provider fraud, waste, and abuse and this includes the Medicaid program. Two groups work in conjunction with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Office of the Inspector General (OIG):
the Medicaid Integrity Program (MIP) works at ...
Medicaid EHR IncentiveFebruary 6th, 2017 - Wyn Staheli
The Medicare and Medicaid incentive programs are different. The Medicare EHR incentive program has been incorporated into the new Quality Payment Program (QPP). However, providers may be unaware that there is still a Medicaid EHR incentive program. The time period for signing up for the Medicaid EHR incentive program ended in 2016. ...
Government Healthcare ProgramsSeptember 17th, 2016 - Wyn Staheli
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) oversees all government health care programs. They are administered by various agencies such as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the Veterans Administration (VA) and even at the state level. Here are the basic government programs:
Medicare
Federal Workers’ Compensation
Military and Veterans
Medicaid
Federal ...
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