What's new from Medicare in the areas of the Two-Midnight rule and observation services? CMS recently published updates to a Medicare manual reflecting clarifications to its Two-Midnight policy, a Medicare Quality Improvement...more
Last week CMS announced a temporary "pause" in the review of inpatient admissions by the Beneficiary and Family Centered Care Quality Improvement Organizations (QIOs). CMS posted this announcement on its Inpatient Hospital...more
On October 30, 2015, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the Calendar Year 2016 Outpatient Prospective Payment System Final Rule (2016 OPPS Final Rule). In the 2016 OPPS Final Rule, CMS finalizes...more
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced, on August 12, 2015, that it has extended the enforcement delay of the controversial two-midnight rule governing short hospital stays until the end of the year....more
On July 8, 2015, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) released a Proposed Rule regarding the 2016 Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (“OPPS”). The Proposed Rule, in addition to proposing updates...more
In the 2016 inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) proposed rule, CMS promised to provide further guidance on the controversial "two midnight" rule in the forthcoming outpatient prospective payment system (OPPS) rule....more
CMS and AMA Announce Efforts to Help Providers Get Ready for ICD-10 – On July 6, 2015, CMS and AMA announced efforts to continue to assist providers to get ready for the upcoming October 1 switch from ICD-9 to ICD-10 coding...more
On July 1, 2015, CMS released a Proposed Rule that would revise the Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) and Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) Payment System payment rates for calendar year (CY) 2016, and would...more
On July 1, 2015, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the calendar year (CY) 2016 outpatient prospective payment system (OPPS)/ambulatory surgical center (ASC) payment system proposed rule that...more
The “Two-Midnight” rule is a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) billing policy which bases the appropriateness of payments for inpatient services under Medicare Part A versus Part B on provider expectations...more