Medicare rules allow broader use of nonphysicians
Hospitals now have the flexibility under federal law to include practitioners other than physicians on their medical staffs. That’s one provision of Medicare’s revised Conditions of Participation (COP) for hospitals and critical access hospitals, which take effect July 16, 2012. The revision is the first major overhaul of the COPs…
CMS expert offers advice on ASC quality reporting
With the early issuance of quality reporting codes for Medicare, both ambulatory surgery centers (ASC) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have a chance to develop expertise in their use and to resolve any technical problems before the mandatory start date of October 1, 2012. And that…
Practice now applying the new ASC quality codes
While the deadline for beginning to report quality measures on Medicare claim forms is not until October 1, 2012, ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) can start practicing. On April 1, 2012, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a set of reporting codes for the first 5 measures. The…
HHS: A draft for closer scrutiny of HAIs in ASCs
Infection control is in the spotlight again, as ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) examine a draft Health and Human Services (HHS) document calling for closer scrutiny of precautions in outpatient settings. The agency released a draft of Phase 2 of its National Action Plan to Prevent Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI) on April…
Is your ASC ready for closer scrutiny on sharps safety?
For a variety of reasons, survey inspectors this year are looking more closely at ambulatory surgery centers (ASC) and other outpatient facilities for evidence of compliance with sharps-safety guidelines. Bloodborne pathogens, of course, have been a concern since awareness of HIV and hepatitis C emerged. Physicians and nurses have long…
What's expected for use of safe surgery checklist?
Starting now, in January 2012, ambulatory surgery centers (ASC) and hospital outpatient departments need to be using a safe surgery checklist and keep using it through all of the calendar year. That’s one quality measure in Medicare’s new ASC quality reporting program set forth in the 2012 outpatient payment rule…
CMS demo: One payment to hospital, MDs
Medicare is starting an experiment that will give hospitals and physicians a single bundled payment for some inpatient cardiac and orthopedic surgery, including total joint replacement. The Acute Care Episode (ACE) demonstration project will be conducted in up to 15 markets in 4 states: Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Colorado.…
CMS proposes pay cut for more conditions
Medicare has proposed more steps to link hospital quality with payment for the 2009 fiscal year and beyond. Nine preventable conditions would be added to the list of those Medicare would no longer pay for at a higher rate. And more than 40 quality indicators would be added to those…
Medicare to stop paying for some errors
Beginning next year, Medicare will stop paying hospitals more for treating serious conditions it considers avoidable, such as infections, falls, and objects left in surgical patients. The action is required by a law passed by Congress in 2005. In August, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) identified 8…
Outpatient quality reporting slated
Hospitals would have to report on 10 outpatient quality measures to get a full update in their 2009 outpatient payments, under a proposed Medicare rule issued July 16. Two of the measures affect surgery: timing of antibiotic prophylaxis selection of antibiotic. Other quality measures apply to acute myocardial infarction, pneumonia,…
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