Representatives from CMS and the Office of Inspector General (OIG) discussed hot topics and focus areas at HCCA's 2019 Compliance Institute in Boston, including developing interactive documentation checklists, potential changes to Stark Law this year, and methods to address the high rate of...Read More »
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a detailed overview on March 11 of its fiscal year 2020 budget, as HHS Secretary Alex Azar prepared for a gauntlet of hearings on Capitol Hill about the proposal.Read More »
The AMA’s CPT Editorial Panel approved sweeping changes to documentation and code selection guidelines for evaluation and management codes. If finalized, the changes will shift the way practices select codes for both office and facility visits as soon as January 2021.Read More »
Community Hospital in Munster, Indiana, is disputing an Office of Inspector General (OIG) report that found DRG assignment errors and incorrect inpatient rehabilitation facility (IRF) claims, resulting in an projected $22,051,602 in overpayments.Read More »
The improper payment rate for routine venipuncture lab tests was 16.3% in 2018, representing more than $20 million, and medical necessity errors accounted 98.9% of the improper payments, according to CMS.Read More »
A Comprehensive Error Rate Testing (CERT) study showed that insufficient documentation causes most improper payments for observation and inpatient care services, according to the January 2019 Medicare Quarterly Compliance Newsletter.Read More »
CMS' administratorurged hospitals to go above and beyond the price transparency requirements laid out in the 2019 IPPS final rule. The requirement that hospitals post a list of their standard charges online in a machine-readable format went into effect January 1.Read More »
Hospital stakeholders "immeasurably pleased" with the court's "carefully reasoned decision." HHS says the ruling could harm funding for other vital healthcare programs.Read More »
