Skilled nursing facility (SNF) episodes for Medicare beneficiaries without preceding acute care increased during the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE), a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine...
For the first time, HHS is releasing ownership data on all Medicare-certified hospice and home health agencies in an effort to increase transparency and competition in healthcare.
HHS announced...
Hospitals and physician groups participating in the Bundled Payments for Care Improvement Advanced (BPCI-A) program would have had to reduce clinical spending by 3.7 percent to 8.2 percent during the...
The National Association of ACOs (NAACOS) is calling on CMS to establish a hybrid primary care payment model in the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) using two possible approaches that will...
CMS has released its 2024 Medicare Advantage (MA) and Part D Final Rule, which finalized policies on marketing oversight, prescription drugs, and prior authorization processes. Changes to prior authorization policies are particularly...
CMS has released a proposed rule for the fiscal year (FY) 2024 Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS). The proposed rule would update hospital payment rates by 2.8 percent next fiscal year and...
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...
The American Academy of Ophthalmology (the Academy) has offered recommendations to CMS on the Medicare Advantage prior authorization proposed rule that may help reduce provider burden and improve...
CMS has instructed certified independent dispute resolution (IDR) entities to resume payment determinations for disputes involving items or services furnished on or after Oct. 25, 2022, according to...
The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) commended CMS for its proposed prior authorization policies but asked the agency to expand its guidance to other utilization management tools and shorten the...
CMS has proposed a rule to update the regulatory requirements of the Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) program in response to the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, including implementing...
Hospital price transparency compliance is a top priority for CMS, which plans to take “aggressive additional steps” to identify hospitals lacking required pricing information on their...
The new Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) designation could help nearly 88 rural hospitals avoid closures but will likely not have a widespread impact on safety-net facilities, according to a report from...
Value-based care platform Signify Health announced plans to participate in the CMS Advance Investment Payments (AIP) incentive program to support providers in rural and underserved communities.
Rural...
Long-term care residents are historically overlooked and require high-cost, complex healthcare services. Accountable care organizations (ACOs) present an opportunity for providers to earn shared savings while improving care quality for...
CMS nursing home ownership information does not align with the characteristics of effective transparency tools, according to a report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO).
CMS oversees the...
CMS has announced that more than 700,000 healthcare providers and organizations are participating in one of three accountable care organization (ACO) models, including the Medicare Shared Savings...
CMS has awarded 200 Medicare-funded residency slots to support hospitals in underserved communities, according to a recent announcement. The awards are part of a larger push to provide 1,000 physician...
National healthcare spending is slowing down in the US compared to a significant 10.3 percent increase in 2020. However, healthcare costs remain high as US health expenditures reach $4.3...
A group of lawmakers, spearheaded by US Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Representative Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), has asked CMS to examine the ACO REACH model to prevent organizations with a...
