With only 60 days between the OPPS final rule's release and the January 1 implementation date, providers will be ahead of the curve by spending time now and thinking about the processes they may need to review, change, or implement based on what CMS finalizes and the sort of financial impact the final rule is likely to have.
In a year of high-profile, multimillion dollar settlements for large HIPAA breaches, OCR raised the stakes in a big way—by taking a harder line on small breaches. OCR announced plans to crack down on smaller breaches—those affecting fewer than 500 individuals—in August.
This week’s Medicare updates include Fiscal Year 2017 Inpatient Prospective Payment System and Long Term Care Hospital PPS Changes; Revisions to State Operations Manual for Critical Access Hospitals (CAH) and Swing-Beds in CAHs; and more!
An inadvertent change in CMS guidance from “subsection (d) hospital” to “acute care hospital” to “IPPS hospital” resulted in eligible patients being denied admission to long-term care hospitals, but CMS has since revised its guidance.
