Reimbursement
Anyone hoping The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' announcement that it will conduct a HIPAA 5010, ICD-10 readiness assessment is a sign that the group might once again push back the deadlines would be wise not to hold breath for such an outcome.
In the Federal Register dated March 11, 2011, CMS explains that it provided certain milestones for providers, payers, and vendors en route to HIPAA 5010 and ICD-10 subsequently.
Sourcenet, a premier physician billing and practice management firm in Mt. Pleasant, S.C., is the first medical biller, under the Healthcare Network Accreditation Program (HNAP) Medical Biller, to be accredited by The Electronic Healthcare Network Accreditation Commission (EHNAC).
By now it is not news to say that Donald Berwick's chances of being confirmed as the head of CMS are rapidly declining from slim to next to none. Not a huge surprise really, but it is a fact made abundantly clear earlier this month when 42 Republican senators penned a contentious letter to President Obama asking him to withdraw Berwick's nomination.
Those familiar with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' Recovery Audit Contractor program say the RAC audits haven't been as bad as was predicted when the controversial program was launched in late 2009.
Anthem Blue Cross and two medical groups from Sharp HealthCare will launch a pilot accountable care organization focused on serving Anthem's San Diego-based group, small group and individual plan PPO members.
MEDecision, a developer of health management and decision support technology, and Health Language, Inc. (HLI), which specializes in medical terminology management, have joined forces, allowing MEDecision to help payers and providers comply with and capitalize on forthcoming ICD-10 requirements.
The Patient-Centered Primary Care Collaborative (PCPCC) has launched a new Center for Accountable Care. The goal, according to PCPCC, is to help ensure that a "strong, robust patient-centered primary care model is at the foundation of accountable care organizations nationwide, and that programs and policies related to ACOs help maintain this focus."
Premier Purchasing Partners, based in Charlotte, N.C., has announced a new agreement for waste management products and services with Trinova Medical Waste Solutions of Corona, Calif.
It has been nearly one year since President Obama signed healthcare reform into law, and it appears many people are more confused and stressed about the future of healthcare than when we first started down this path.
Kaiser Permanente Southern California and Kaiser Permanente Northern California were the only health plans to earn four stars in the category Meeting National Standards of Care in the just-released HMO Quality Report from the California Office of the Patient Advocate.