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Written by Team eduTrax   
Tuesday, 09 March 2010 00:00

Restructure Will Happen Before CMS Gets a New Chief

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is being restructured, despite lacking a Senate-confirmed administrator since the last one stepped down October 2006. The new structure adds a new pricipal deputy administrator, reporting directly to Acting CMS Administrator Charlene Frizzera. Firzzera announced the changes Feb. 16 via an e-mail sent to agency staff, and apparently expects the changes to happen by mid-April. The changes were expected to be approved by HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

Last Updated on Tuesday, 09 March 2010 20:06
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Written by Team eduTrax   
Monday, 08 March 2010 00:00

 

Scheduled 21% Pay Cut for Physician Services to Medicare Beneficiaries Delayed 30 Days

On March 2, the US Senate once again delayed enacting a scheduled 21% payment cut for physicians who provider Medicare services. The lopsided vote, 78-19, concerns the Temporary Extension Act of 2010 (H.R. 4691), and includes extensions to unemployment benefits, and also applies to members of the military on the federal government’s TRICARE insurance.

Last Updated on Monday, 08 March 2010 17:52
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Written by Team eduTrax   
Monday, 08 March 2010 00:00

 

AMA Letter to Senate: Repeal Medicare Payment Formula This Month

The AMA issued a statement calling on the Senate to "use this time wisely to repeal a broken payment formula." The House has passed legislation that would have repealed the funding formula, and now the Senate needs to act, according to the statement.

The AMA's American Medical News reported today that the Senate is now considering a bill to make October 1 yet another new deadline.

“The Senate had more than a year to repeal the formula and ensure the security and stability of Medicare and TRICARE, but that opportunity has been squandered,” said Dr. James Rohack, the AMA president. “This drastic cut will hurt our senior, disabled and military patients, as well as baby boomers who start entering the Medicare program next year.”

The AMA also issued a letter to the U.S. Senate, making it clear that the AMA “cannot support proposals that aim to address only the most imminent threat to payment levels and patient access, with no regard for the future of the Medicare and TRICARE programs. We are opposed to further short-term patches of any duration.”

Read the AMA's AMNews's report about the ACC's lawsuit against HHS.

Last Updated on Monday, 08 March 2010 17:56
 
Written by Team eduTrax   
Tuesday, 02 March 2010 21:48

eduTrax News Service -- Feb. 25, 2010.

Brookhaven Memorial Hospital Medical Center Agrees to $2.92 million plus interest to settle allegations concerning outlier payments

The Department of Justice (DOJ) published a press release on February 25, 2010, stating that Brookhaven Memorial Hospital Medical Center, a Long Island, a 306-bed nonprofit acute-care N.Y.-based hospital, has agreed to pay $2.92 million, plus interest, to settle allegations that the hospital defrauded Medicare, by inflating its charges to obtain suplemental outlier payments for cases that were not extraordinarliy costly and for which outlier payments should not have been paid.

Last Updated on Tuesday, 02 March 2010 22:42
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