CMS publishes final MACRA rule
Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on October 14 issued a final rule with comment period for implementing provisions of the new physician payment system required by the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA), according to the October 14 Modern Healthcare. The rule…
Medicare reimbursement rates set to rise 1.2% in 2017
Ask any group of ambulatory surgery center (ASC) administrators their greatest concern, and the most likely answer will be “reimbursement.” Specifically, they will say Medicare payments do not keep up with their costs and revenue expectations. It does not help that the rules and formulas established by the Centers for…
CMS launches new Twitter account
Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on October 12 launched a new Twitter account, which will be led by the Media Relations Group in Washington, DC. @CMSgovPress will promote CMS news as it happens, offering members of the media and the public the opportunity to receive…
Joint Commission announces 2017 ORYX performance measurements
Editor's Note The Joint Commission on October 5 announced its 2017 ORYX performance measurement requirements, effective January 1. Though the Joint Commission is closely aligned with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting Program, it has not adopted all of the electronic clinical quality measures…
Effect of CJR episode of care definition on hospital performance
Editor's Note Comparing the Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (CJR) program’s broad definition of a patient’s episode of care (ie, initial hospitalization until 90 days after discharge) with a clinically narrow definition of an episode of care, researchers found that hospital performance was consistent no matter which definition was used.…
Association between bundled payments and quality outcomes
Editor's Note In the first 21 months of the Bundled Payments for Care Improvement (BPCI) initiative for total hips and knees, Medicare payments declined more for BPCI participating hospitals than nonparticipating hospitals, without a significant change in quality outcomes, this study finds. For the analysis, 31,700 total joints at 176…
Oct 1 deadline for EHR incentive program
Editor's Note First time participants in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Electronic Health Records (EHR) Incentive Program must attest to meaningful use for a 90-day reporting period by October 1 to avoid a payment adjustment in 2017, the September 26 AHA News reports. Returning participants must report…
ACS launches new website on bleeding control
Editor's Note The American College of Surgeons (ACS) and the Hartford Consensus on September 16 announced the launch of a new website designed to assist the public and first responders in the event of a mass casualty or other bleeding control emergency. The website, BleedingControl.org, contains diagrams, videos, and other…
CMS: Final rule establishes emergency preparedness requirements
Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on September 16 released its final rule on “Emergency preparedness requirements for Medicare and Medicaid participating providers and suppliers.” The rule establishes requirements to plan for natural and man-made disasters and coordinate with federal, state, tribal, regional, and local emergency…
CMS: Readmissions fall by more than 500,000
Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on September 13 announced that 30-day patient readmissions fell by an estimated 565,000 over 5 years, from 2010 to 2015. Rates declined by more than 5% in 43 states and by more than 10% in 11 states. The only state…
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