Lawmakers Want to Tie Physician Payment Updates to Inflation
Several lawmakers are seeking to tie physician payment updates in Medicare to inflation to prevent potential physician shortage issues. Representatives Raul Ruiz, MD (D-CA-25), Larry Bucshon, MD...How Do Rural Hospitals Survive When Facing Financial Instability?
As rural hospitals face financial instability, many facilities have persevered and remained open on their own, while others have experienced mergers or closures, a study published in Health Affairs...Hospital Chargemaster Heavily Influences Cash Prices, Payer Rates
While neither patients nor payers typically pay what hospitals charge for services, a new Health Affairs study finds that those hospital chargemaster rates still matter. Researchers at Johns Hopkins...CMS Proposes a 3.7% Boost in Skilled Nursing Facility Payments
CMS has issued a proposed rule that includes a 3.7 percent payment update for skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) and changes to the SNF Quality Reporting Program (QRP) and the SNF Value-Based Purchasing...Community-Level Social Risk Adjustment Did Not Address Payment Disparities
Despite the notion that social risk adjustment may improve health equity in value-based payment models, incorporating community-level social risk factors into Medicare risk adjustment did little to...Proposed Rule to Boost Medicare Inpatient Rehab Payments by 3%
A new proposed rule from CMS would increase payments to inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs) by $335 million next fiscal year. The draft regulation would also update quality reporting and new...AHA, AHIP Urge Supreme Court to Uphold False Claims Act Ruling
The American Hospital Association (AHA) and AHIP have filed an amicus brief challenging the federal government’s interpretation of the False Claims Act, stating that it would adversely impact...CMS Proposes 2.8% Medicare Hospice Payment Bump
Medicare hospice payments could grow by as much as 2.8 percent, or $720 million, next year under a rule recently proposed by CMS. The federal agency released the proposed rule on Friday. It seeks to...Sponsored by Brault Practice Solutions