Category Archives: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”)

Additional Challenges for Off-Campus Provider-Based Hospital Departments

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Proposed Reduction of Payment Rates for Non-excepted Off-campus Provider-Based Hospital Departments Paid Under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule

Medical facilities owned by hospitals but located off-campus are facing new challenges on both the state and federal levels. CMS recently proposed a rule updating certain payment policies and rates for the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (Proposed Rule). Among other provisions, the Proposed Rule slashes payment rates for non-excepted off-campus provider-based hospital departments that are now paid according to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule. The Proposed Rule will be published in the Federal Register on July 21, 2017; the comment period will close on Sept. 11, 2017. Continue reading →

Conducting Required Reviews Can Save Your Facility from Embarrassment – and Worse!

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Even though we know the old saying “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” background checks on on personnel can sometimes fall through the cracks. Here are a few examples of times that make us wish we would have double-checked to be sure they were getting done:

  • A state surveyor is on-site investigating and advises that the allegation of neglect or abuse is against a tech who was convicted for beating up his father a year before he was hired.
  • In employing a favorite PRN nurse who has been around for a couple of years, you learn that she never obtained a license when she moved here from Texas. You realize there may now be returnable overpayments, because she is not appropriately licensed to perform the services in our state.
  • You want to impress your new venture partner, and cringe when they discover in due diligence that your team has not checked the excluded provider or debarred contractor lists in a few years.

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CMS Urged to Recoup and Audit EHR Incentive Payments

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According to a report released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General (OIG) on June 12, 2017, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) overpaid an estimated $729 million in Medicare electronic health record (EHR) incentive payments to participating providers. (The full report is available at https://oig.hhs.gov/oas/reports/region5/51400047.asp). The OIG reviewed whether CMS’ oversight of the Medicare EHR incentive program was sufficient and whether eligible professionals (EPs) nationwide met Medicare incentive payment program requirements and received appropriate incentive payments. Alarmingly, the OIG urged CMS to recoup and audit these incentive payments based on its findings. Participating EPs and hospitals should be cognizant of the ramifications of CMS’ recommendations, including the potential for an audit and recoupment. Continue reading →

CMS Releases Final Medicare Outpatient Observation Notice

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The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) posted the final approved version of the Medicare Outpatient Observation Notice (“MOON”) on the CMS Beneficiary Notices Initiative website on December 8, 2016.[1]  According to CMS, all hospitals and critical access hospitals (“CAHs”) are required to provide the MOON beginning no later than March 8, 2017. Continue reading →

Hot Off the Presses! CMS Issues Final Overpayment Regulations

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On Friday, February 12, 2016, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued the final overpayment reporting and refunding rule for Medicare Parts A and B overpayments (Final Rule). This Final Rule adopts federal regulations to implement Section 6402(a) of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) enacted in March 2010 that requires the identification, reporting and refunding of certain overpayments from the Medicare and Medicaid programs (the “Overpayment Law”). CMS had previously issued a proposed rule in February 2012 containing regulations to implement the Overpayment Law, which raised several questions and compliance challenges by physicians and other health care providers. Continue reading →