IPPS Rule Includes Pay Bump, Reporting Simplification
Aug. 6—More than 3,000 hospitals will receive an average increase of nearly 3 percent in their Medicare inpatient payment rates—along with a slew of policy changes—under a recently issued final rule.
In Q2, Hospital M&A Slows, Practice Acquisition Stays Flat
Aug. 3—The merger-and-acquisition (M&A) momentum in health care during the second quarter of the year switched from hospitals to physician practices, according to tracking companies.
Aug. 6-10: As Navigator Deadline Approaches, Individual-Insurance Market Strengthens
Aug. 2—As the Trump administration prepares to accept the latest round of navigator applications this week, the individual health insurance market appears to be strengthening.
Medicare Offers $1 Billion Increase, Policy Changes for Post-Acute Providers
Aug. 1—Post-acute care providers will see more than a $1 billion pay boost for FY19—along with a range of policy changes—as described in annual final rules issued by Medicare this week.
Healthcare Finance Industry Names Leading Innovators
July 30—Providing an indication of where the healthcare finance industry is headed, stakeholders recently selected a patient revenue cycle system and a telemonitoring company as leading innovators.
Members of Congress Identify Ways to Cut Administrative Costs
July 31—Healthcare administrative costs could be cut in half over the next five years through a series of congressional and administrative actions, members of Congress were told this week.
Medicare Proposes $760 Million 2019 Hospital Cut
July 27—A range of major hospital policy changes includes a $760 million cut as part of the 2019 Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) proposed rule.
July 30-Aug. 3: As CMS Offers MIPS Review, Physicians Urge Its Preservation
July 26—Members of Congress and some physician leaders urged the continuation of Medicare’s Merit-based Incentive Payment System amid growing calls for its elimination. However, many agreed the system needs changes.
Public Poll, Verma Reject Single-Payer
July 25—The administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) said she is likely to reject an expected single-payer proposal from California. Her position echoed the sentiments of a national poll released this week.
Maryland Insurance Costs Rise Despite Hospital Price Controls
July 24—Despite a unique price control system for Maryland hospitals, insurers in the state’s Affordable Care Act (ACA) individual health insurance market have requested the largest average rate increase in the country.