Facing the unprecedented COVID-19 public health emergency, CMS released the 2021 OPPS proposed rule later than ever before, with the agency generally reinforcing its recent focus on site-neutral payment policies, lowering reimbursement for drugs purchased under the 340B program, and adding more services to the list of prior authorization.
Half of all hospitals could be operating in the red in the second half of 2020 if they don’t receive additional government support, according to a recent analysis prepared for the American Hospital Association.
CMS on July 24 released Transmittal 10230 to inform Medicare contractors of five new Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) waived tests approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
An appeals court ruled that CMS has the authority to implement a controversial site-neutral payment policy. The ruling, delivered July 17, reversed a 2019 district court decision that vacated the policy.
Physicians and facilities use the same codes to report E/M levels for ED services, but follow different rules. Outpatient coders must be able to assign E/M codes for both physicians’ work and resources utilized by the facility during emergency visits.
CMS released the 2021ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting on July 8, several weeks earlier than usual. The coding guidelines, which take effect October 1, include new instructions for reporting manifestations of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), among other changes.
