Approximately 25% of the $3.8 trillion spent annually in the U.S. on healthcare can be characterized as waste, according to an analysis recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Almost a year after CMS required hospitals to post their chargemaster online, some hospitals are going beyond the basic requirements while others lag behind, according to a recent analysis.
CMS recently announced that it is accepting comments until November 29 on a proposal to collect acquisition cost data from hospitals participating in the 340B drug discount program.
Q: Our coding team saw that there is a new section for radiation therapy in the FY 2020 ICD-10-PCS Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting. Can you explain the recent changes made to this section?
CMS’ proposal in the 2020 OPPS proposed rule mandating the disclosure of negotiated charges between hospitals and payers may exceed the agency’s legal authority, the American Hospital Association (AHA) stated in its comments on the proposed rule.
Q: A payer has begun denying authorization for admissions and diverting patients from our hospital to one of our competitors, even when our hospital is closer. Is this a common practice among payers? What language should we add to the contract to discourage it?
