CMS is moving forward with its plan to drastically cut payments for drugs acquired through the 340B drug discount program, according to the 2018 OPPS final rule, released in November.
This week’s Medicare updates include the announcement of the Part A and Part B premiums and deductibles for 2018, clarification on new Conditions of Participation regarding home health agency subunits, a proposed decision memo on conditions of coverage for implantable cardioverter defibrillators, and more!
Physicians may be angry at the increased documentation, coding, and billing workflow and compliance activities they must perform to be successful in new reimbursement models. However, to avoid accustations of fraud and upcoding, they must develop their own OIG-recommended compliance plan and be open to rigorous feedback and advice.
This week’s Medicare updates include an advisory opinion on using network hospitals for inpatient stays; annual updates to HCPCS codes used for home health consolidated billing and the therapy code list; the removal of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (topical application of oxygen) from an NCD; and more!
A CMS representative solicited input from audience members on potential revisions to E/M documentation guidelines at the AMA’s 2018 CPT Symposium in Chicago this week, continuing the agency’s outreach on E/M reform that began with this year’s Medicare Physician Fee Schedule proposed rule.
Currently, there are no national guidelines for how facilities should assign evaluation and management (E/M) levels in the emergency department (ED). Under Medicare’s ambulatory payment classification (APC) system, facilities create their own internal guidelines for determining the ED visit level, and each facility must follow its own system to demonstrate compliance.
