Policy and Legislation

Leaders of healthcare systems, hospitals and healthcare payers are on the fence when it comes to their participation in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' shared savings program (MSSP) - the Medicare ACO program - according to a recent poll led by KPMG LLC.

According to a recent Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) 45.2 percent of responding physician practices said they had not started HIPAA 5010 implementation.

With the prohibitive and rising cost of healthcare, there has never been a greater need for accountable care organizations, according to Mark McClellan, MD, former Administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has informed state Medicaid directors of new smoking cessation services and reminded them that Medicaid programs are now required to fully cover those services for pregnant women.

U.S. Reps. Allyson Schwartz (D-Pa.) and Greg Walden (R-Ore.) and 26 co-sponsors have introduced the Home Health Care Planning Improvement Act, which would allow physician assistants, nurse practitioners, clinic nurse specialists and certified nurse midwives to order home health services for Medicare beneficiaries.

Rising healthcare costs are the key fiscal problem the United States faces, said former White House budget director Peter Orszag during a press conference Thursday, and the best solution to the problem is a provider-value approach.

The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) has released its June 2011 "Report to the Congress: Medicare and the Health Care Delivery System." The report includes a number of recommendations that have generated much controversy to address the growing use of ancillary services, particularly non-hospital diagnostic imaging services.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced Thursday the availability of $10 million to establish and evaluate comprehensive workplace health promotion programs across the nation to improve the health of American workers and their families.

Up to $500 million in Affordable Care Act funding will be awarded to help hospitals and providers improve care with new programs, training and monitoring, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced June 22.

In all the talk around healthcare reform, the issue of meeting medical transportation needs of the burgeoning senior population hasn't received a lot of press, but as the healthcare system grapples with how it will manage an estimated 70 million Americans who will be age 65 and older by 2030, industry insiders say it's imperative the issue be addressed.