I can’t speak for anyone else but I tend to think about healthcare in isolation – almost as if new and emerging concepts, technologies, and challenges are unique to healthcare. I’m thinking specifically of the fast and furious changes we’re seeing in the advancement of health information technology. Consider the push for interoperability, adoption of…
For those of us who have any interactions with the Merit-Based Incentive Program (MIPS), January to March is a particularly busy time of year. Some of us are still working through 2021 documentation audits, checking calculations, collaborating with clinical data registries, and generally working towards making our 2021 MIPS submissions to CMS. At the same…
New information technology and changing expectations of healthcare delivery are quickly ushering in a new era of health information sharing. This is evident to all of us who use patient portals, telehealth, remote monitoring technology, electronic fitness monitoring devices, and any one or more of the health applications out there in the ether. There has…
If you’re reading this, you’re likely to have attended our recent webinars with Ellen Strunk founder of Rehab Resources and Consulting, Inc. and Rick Gawenda of Gawenda Seminars and Consulting, clarifying the substantive changes from the 2022 MPFS & QPP Final Rules. And if you were not able to attend, no worries, you can find…
There’s been a lot of excitement about Remote Therapeutic Monitoring (RTM) codes recently, rightfully so, but there’s also been a bit of confusion. The 2022 MPFS Final Rule approved five new general medicine codes (see below) for use by physical and occupational therapists and speech language pathologists in the RTM group. The rule also permits…
The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (BBA) included a provision that requires CMS to implement a Medicare payment differential on January 1, 2022, for care provided “in-whole or in-part” by a physical therapy assistant (PTA) or occupational therapist assistant (OTA). Since the law was passed, CMS and stakeholders have worked together to develop regulations around…
Rule Timeframe Released: July 29, 2021 Final Rules effective: October 1, 2021 Executive Summary The FY 2022 Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility (IRF) Prospective Payment System (PPS) Final Rule updates payment policies and rates for IRF PPS facilities for FY 2022. CMS is using the same methodology to update the FY 2022 rates as was used for…
New rules and policy changes are certainly keeping the hospice sector busy. First, the moratorium on hospice sequestration and now the 2022 Hospice Payment Rate Final Rule! Your compliance eyes and ears here at Net Health have had their noses to the ground (or, rather, nose to the regulatory grindstone) and we’ve put together a…
CMS released the FY 2022 Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Prospective Payment System (PPS) Final Rule on July 29, 2021 and there were no real surprises for those of us familiar with the 2022 proposed rule. Key Takeaways The final rule confirmed payment updates for skilled nursing facilities which will result in an estimated $410 million…
CMS has released the CY 2022 Hospital Outpatient and Ambulatory Surgical Center Payment Systems proposed rule with some intriguing proposals. Key Headlines Hospitals and ASCs may see a 2.3% increase in payment for 2022 Hospitals may see increased penalties if they do not provide charge information that patients can easily access Ambulatory surgical centers may…