An audit of Medicare Part B payments from 2014 through 2016 revealed that CMS improperly paid providers more than $66.3 million for specimen validity tests billed in combination with urine drug tests, according to a report by the OIG.
Electronic health records fall short of early promises that they would reduce administrative costs, a recent study found. The cost of completing insurance- and billing-related activities in the EHR can represent more than a quarter of professional reimbursement for an emergency department visit.
This week’s Medicare updates include a list of new topics proposed for recovery audit contractor review, a final decision memo on a cardiology device NCD, a diagnosis code update for add-on payments for a blood clotting factor, and more!
The expected growth in healthcare expenditures from 2017 to 2026 is expected to outpace the growth in gross domestic product (GDP) by 1%, resulting in an increase in the health share of the GDP from 17.9% in 2016 to 19.7% in 2026, according to a CMS report.
