This week’s Medicare updates include an announcement on expanded payments for at-home COVID-19 vaccinations, dates for implementation of the Prior Authorization Model for Repetitive, Scheduled Non-Emergent Ambulance Transports nationwide, an OIG review of phlebotomy travel allowances, and more!
CMS walked back some major policy changes and cemented others in the 2022 Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) final rule. Brush up on the latest changes and ensure your hospital is ready to comply by October 1.
To select the most specific CPT codes for prenatal care, physician coders must have a solid understanding of complex guidelines for reporting pregnancy-related office visits. Lori-Lynne A. Webb, CPC, CCS-P, CCP, CHDA, COBGC, unpacks services included in the global obstetric package and CPT coding for routine prenatal care.
CMS has reinstated the short-stay reviews and high-weighted DRG reviews originally halted in 2019. The national contract to conduct these reviews was awarded to Livanta, one of the Beneficiary & Family-Centered Care and Quality Improvement Organizations.
Audits are ramping up across the country, creating additional headaches for many healthcare organizations as they simultaneously struggle with the delta variant of COVID-19.
As the country sees a resurgence of COVID-19 thanks to the delta variant, hospitals are seeing an increase not only in their immediate census numbers, but also in the number of readmissions.
