Outpatient Facilities Continue to Grow, Despite CMS Threat
The CBRE Group has released a new report showing the number of outpatient facilities increased from 26,900 in 2005 to 40,400 in 2016. This represents an increase of 51%! As …
Insights and News
The IRS Begins Accepting Tax Returns on January 28
As the impact of the government shutdown grows larger, you may have hoped that the IRS would close too. Unfortunately, we have no such luck! The IRS will begin accepting …
Hospital Prices are Public Starting Today!
Beginning today, patients will be able to access prices that hospitals charge for their services. This change is part of Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar’s broader value-based …
CMS Takes Steps to Ensure Adequate Staffing in Nursing Homes
CMS has announced an initiative to improve nursing home oversight and transparency. The goal of this new action is to ensure adequate staffing to meet residents’ needs. Facilities with higher …
The Physician Compare Preview Period is Closing Soon!
The Physician Compare 30 day preview period has been open since the end of November. Have you checked out your performance information yet? Don’t get caught by surprise – the …
Flu Season is Here!
Are you helping your patients avoid the flu by getting immunized? All health professionals should encourage their patients to get a flu shot, even after the new year. It’s better …
Important Changes to Home Health Rural Add-On Payments
CR 10782 creates a new value code, and an associated FIPS State and County Code. The new value code 85 is defined as “County Where Service is Rendered.” All RAPs …
Is it the Beginning of the End for the Affordable Care Act?
U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor issued a ruling last Friday on the case of Texas v. Azar, which invalidated the Affordable Care Act (ACA). President Trump has vowed to enforce …
Back to Basics – Mastering Medicare Acronyms
Even the most seasoned health care provider can sometimes get lost in the alphabet soup of CMS. There’s no shame in having to search for the occasional acronym – we’re …
Getting Ready for the New MCR E-Filing System
Is your organization prepared for the switch the MCReF system next year? Providers that prefer to submit their MCR electronically must do so using the new system on January 2 …