IMPORTANTE: MEDICARE
----- FYI Raúl Alicea, MBA/HCM, CHA - Health Insurance Specialist - Provider Outreach & Education - Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services - P 787-771-3660 - F 787-771-3689 - C 787-300-0389 Listen "Medicare Te Educa" a Radio Live Program every Wednesday from 10:45 a.m. through Siembra 88.5FM, 90.1FM & 91.7FM, through internet www.plenitud885.com. MEDICARE AND MEDICAID MOVE AGGRESSIVELY TO ENCOURAGE GREATER PATIENT SAFETY IN HOSPITALS AND REDUCE NEVER EVENTS The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services ( CMS ) announced today it is taking several actions to improve the quality of care in hospitals and reduce the number of “never events” -- preventable medical errors that result in serious consequences for the patient. A final acute care inpatient prospective payment (IPPS) rule that went on display today at the Office of the Federal Register for publication August 19, 2008 updates Medicare payments to hospitals for fiscal year (FY) 2009 and provides additional incentives for hospitals to improve the quality of care provided to people with Medicare. As part of these quality of care incentives, the rule includes payment provisions to reduce never events that occur in hospitals. In addition to the final rule, CMS today sent a letter to state Medicaid directors providing information about how states can adopt the same never events practices. The letter specifically encourages states to adopt the same non-payment policies outlined in today’s final Medicare rule. Nearly 20 states already have or are considering methods to eliminate payment for some never events. CMS also announced today the opening of a process to develop three National Coverage Determinations (NCDs) that would address Medicare coverage of certain surgical procedures. The Final Regulation will be published in the Federal Register on August, 19, 2008. The CMS press release is available at: www.cms.hhs.gov/apps/media/press_releases.asp The IPPS rule will be posted at - http://www.cms.hhs.gov/AcuteInpatientPPS/IPPS/list.asp#TopOfPage NCD Tracking Sheets: https://www.cms.hhs.gov/mcd/viewnca.asp?where=index&nca_id=223&basket=nca:00401N:223:Wrong+Surgery+Performed+on+a+Patient:Open:New:1 Aryeh Langer for Valerie Haugen Health Insurance Specialist Division of Provider Information Planning & Development Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Visit the Medicare Learning Network ~ it’s free! _______________________________________________________________________________________________
Puerto Rico ha sido eliminado de la Primera Ronda de La Subasta Competitiva de Equipos Médicos y Suplidos. Adjunto información sobre el particular.
Raúl Alicea, MBA/HCM, CHA - Health Insurance Specialist - Provider Outreach & Education - Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services - P 787-771-3660 - F 787-771-3689 - C 787-300-0389
Listen "Medicare Te Educa" a Radio Live Program every Wednesday from 10:45 a.m. through Siembra 88.5FM, 90.1FM & 91.7FM, through internet www.plenitud885.com.
Anejo (Igual al original)
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Room 352-G
200 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20201
Office of Media Affairs
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MEDICARE FACT SHEET
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: CMS Office of Media Affairs
July 16, 2008 (202) 690-6145
MEDICARE IMPROVEMENTS FOR PATIENTS AND PROVIDERS ACT, 2008
Background
On July 15, 2008, the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 was enacted, making changes to the Medicare program. Information about some of the changes is outlined below. Detailed instructions about these changes have been communicated via listserv to CMS providers and other affected parties. CMS will be implementing other provisions of the legislation in the coming months and will announce additional information as it becomes available.
Physician Pay
As a result of the new law, the mid-year 2008 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) rate reduction of -10.6 percent is retroactively replaced with the fee schedule rates in effect from January – June, 2008, which reflected a 0.5 percent update from 2007 rates. In addition, MPFS payment rates are being revised to increase the fee schedule amounts for certain mental health services.
Effective immediately, CMS has instructed its contractors to implement the new law. However, it may take up to 10 business days to implement these changes. To minimize physician disruption during this transition, CMS will post the new physician fee schedule as soon as possible and will continue its rolling 10 day hold and release of claims. This means that, until the new fee schedule rates are implemented, some claims may still be paid at the lower rates that were in effect between July 1st and July 15th. To the extent possible, contractors will begin to automatically reprocess any claims paid at the lower rates in a timely manner. CMS will issue guidance about the collection of corrected co-insurance payments in the next few days.
More information on physician pay issues is available at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/PhysicianFeeSched/
Therapy Caps
The law also reinstated the therapy caps exceptions process as of July 1st. Therefore, medically necessary therapy services, in excess of the therapy caps, will continue to be paid by Medicare in accordance with the exceptions process. Claims submitted with the therapy cap exception modifier will be processed as soon as the payment rates have been activated. Claims submitted without the modifier, and rejected or denied, can be resubmitted with the modifier for reimbursement. To the extent possible, claims under the therapy cap limit, which were paid at the lower rate, will be reprocessed automatically. More information on therapy caps is available at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/TherapyServices/
DME
The Durable Medical Equipment Competitive Bidding Program, which affects only Medicare beneficiaries in traditional fee-for-service in 10 competitive bidding areas, has been delayed. Medicare beneficiaries may use any Medicare-approved supplier for Durable Medical Equipment. If a beneficiary changed suppliers when this new program started (July 1, 2008), they can either continue to use the new supplier or choose another supplier. The original DME payment rates in effect prior to July 1 are reinstated retroactively. All Medicare households in the 10 competitive bidding areas will be notified of this change directly in a letter from CMS within two weeks.
The DME Competitive Bidding areas are: (1) Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord, NC-SC, (2) Cincinnati-Middletown, OH-KY-IN, (3) Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor, OH, (4) Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, (5) Kansas City, MO-KS, (6) Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Miami Beach, FL, (7) Orlando-Kissimmee, FL, (8) Pittsburgh, PA, (9) Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA, and (10) San Juan, PR. Information on payment rates and claims processing will be communicated to DME suppliers in the coming days.
More information on DME is available at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/DMEPOSCompetitiveBid/
# # #
0 comentarios