Subscribe Now
 Already a subscriber? Log-in!
This biweekly newsletter provides concise, independent coverage and analysis of fast-breaking lab, pathology, blood banking, imaging and diagnostic radiology news from the Nation's Capital.
You'll find out about:
- Medicare payment and policy directives Billing guidelines and coding changes for diagnostic facilities
- CLIA & MQSA regulatory mandates, changes and interpretations
- Congressional actions & legislative initiatives
- Federal compliance requirements
- OIG anti-fraud initiatives
- Stark self-referral prohibitions
Plus you will get other legal news regarding FDA oversight of in vitro diagnostics, blood banks, and radiological devices OSHA, NRC, and state safety standards.
|
|
|
 |
 | NIR May 21, 2007 (full PDF issue) |
| Physician fee fix promised, but finding the money could imperil other providers
Questions & answers on NPI compliance policy for Medicare fee-for-service: see Focus
Names in the News
—HHS veteran Weems nominated to head Medicare/Medicaid agency
—Kolodner named health IT chief at HHS
Medicare Billing Advisory: Common errors to avoid
Register now to discover how to boost your molecular momentum and get paid correctly: G-2 conference alert
Full Article |
| Physician Groups Grapple With Medicare Fee Fix |
| The American Medical Association and other physician groups are working on a legislative proposal that would block the 10% cut in Medicare physician fees projected for 2008 as well as cuts of 5% annually over the following nine years.
Full Article |
| CAP Revs Up Its Drive to Overhaul CLIA Cytology PT |
| Faulting the government for repeated delays in delivering on its promise to propose revised rules for CLIA cytology proficiency testing, the College of American Pathologists says it’s time to go all-out for a legislative solution.
Full Article |
| Finding the Money to Prevent Medicare Physician Fee Cuts |
| Health leaders in the Democratic-controlled Congress have promised to prevent the scheduled 10% cut in Medicare physician fees in 2008 and address reform of the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) system for calculating annual updates. But how to pay for it is the question. Under congressional pay-as-you-go rules, new spending must be offset by cuts elsewhere.
Full Article |
| Q&As on NPI Contingency Plan for Medicare Fee-for-Service |
| When Medicare unveiled its contingency plan for fee-for-service (FFS) providers that cannot meet the May 23, 2007 deadline to comply with National Provider Identifier (NPI) requirements, it triggered a lot of questions on the practical side, including plans to "fast track" required NPI use by certain providers.
Full Article |
| Robert Kolodner Named Top Health IT Officer at HHS |
| Robert M. Kolodner, MD, has been formally appointed as head of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology within the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. He has been serving as interim head since last September, when the first national coordinator, David Brailer, stepped down. The HIT Office was established in 2004 to carry out the President’s initiative to have e-health records for all Americans by 2014.
Full Article |
| HHS Veteran Kerry Weems Nominated to Head CMS |
| Kerry N. Weems, a 24-year career veteran with the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, is the President’s pick to become the next administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The White House sent the nomination to the Senate on May 3 for confirmation.
Full Article |
| Common Errors to Avoid on Claims to Carriers |
| Medicare recently released a list of common errors that providers should avoid when submitting claims. The errors most typically found on claims to Part B carriers that lead to denial, rejection, or delay because of incorrect or incomplete information include:
Full Article |
|
|
Please choose an archived issue to view newsletter table of contents above
|
|
