Reimbursement
Leaders of the Alliance for Quality Nursing Home Care have said they are alarmed over aspects of the Medicare skilled nursing facility (SNF) payment rule issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services last Thursday.
There are significant issues and potential concerns that hospital-based practices should be aware of with respect to ICD-10 implementation. By preparing early however, practices can alleviate several operational and budgetary issues.
Community Health Systems, locked in a bitter hostile takeover bid for rival Tenet Healthcare, publicly defended itself Thursday, calling Tenet's allegations of improper patient admission practices "contrived and biased."
The Department of Health and Human Services has launched a new initiative that will reward hospitals for the quality of care they provide to Medicare beneficiaries. HHS officials said the program would also help reduce healthcare costs.
CVS Caremark expects to complete its $1.25 billion acquisition of the Medicare Part D business of Universal American on Friday - a deal that would more than double CVS Caremark's Part D business.
Enrollment in consumer-directed health plans grew by 22 percent in 2010, according to a study commissioned by the American Association of Preferred Provider Organizations.
The Commander of the American Legion is urging Congress to pass a bill that would allow military veterans to pay for non-combat-related medical care received at VA hospitals with their Medicare coverage.
Compensation for medical directors varies widely across specialties, with the lowest reported by internists and pediatricians at $7,500, according to the Medical Group Management Association's "Medical Directorship and On-Call Compensation Survey: 2011 Report Based on 2010 Data."
At a Bipartisan Policy Center panel discussion on Tuesday, newly-appointed National Coordinator Farzad Mostashari, MD, was optimistic – but also warned of challenges for healthcare IT advancement in the coming few years.
Two former U.S. senators, one a Republican, the other a Democrat, do not have to cross the aisle to work together.