Some patients can now get more than just a prescription at their local pharmacy. Two healthcare organizations, BayCare Health System, Inc. in Clearwater, Florida, and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital in New York City, have announced separate but similar partnerships with Publix and Walgreens that allow patients to visit specially designed telemedicine kiosks where they can video conference with a doctor to get a diagnosis and treatment for non-urgent medical problems.
This week's note from the instructor guides you through the recent overhaul of the IOCE and explores some of the most pertinent changes included in the April quarterly update.
Q. I recently tried to access my medical records through the hospital’s patient portal. I had a hard time logging in because it prompted me to enter codes sent to my phone several times. It was difficult to keep track of which code was the most recent. I feel like this was an unreasonable barrier. Usually, you’re given the choice to opt out of multifactor authentication or only have to enter one code along with your password. Do multiple authentication codes represent a significant barrier to patient access?
Medicare Advantage plan payment rates will increase by an average of 3.4% in 2019 due to higher projected per-capita cost growth for Medicare fee-for-service. The final pay bump is significantly higher than the 1.84% increase proposed in the 2019 advance notice.
This week’s Medicare updates include two new fact sheets on Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) policies, a Special Edition MLN Matters article on proper coding for certain laboratory tests, instructions regarding the new skilled nursing facility Advance Beneficiary Notice (ABN) forms; and more!
