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Value Modifier: Informal Review Request Period Extended to December 7

Policy Snapshot
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS), Practice Management
December 2, 2016
The informal review period for the 2017 Value Modifier calculation has been extended to December 7. For information on how to file, see the 2017 Value Modifier Informal Review Request Quick Reference Guide . For More Information: How to Obtain a...

Toto, We’re Not in Fee-For-Service Anymore: Alex Bardakh, MPP, Explains MACRA

Policy Snapshot
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS), Payment, Alternative Payment Models (APM), Medicare Access and CHIP Re-authorization Act (MACRA), Merit-Based Incentive Program Payment System (MIPS), Quality Payment Program (QPP), Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR), Practice Management, Electronic Health Records (EHR), Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS)
December 2, 2016
It is hard to believe that we spent almost two decades trying to repeal the flawed Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula that defined how physicians got paid and now, in a blink of an eye, we must get used to a whole new way of doing business. The...

AMA Interim Meeting 2016 Report from the Society’s Delegate, Dr. Tangalos

Policy Snapshot
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS), Medicaid, Palliative Care, Medication
November 18, 2016
The American Medical Association (AMA) interim meeting is devoted to advocacy. It remains a much-abbreviated meeting from the annual event held every June in Chicago. The Society had no resolutions to present at the recent interim meeting, held in...

HHS OIG 2017 Work Plan Released

Policy Snapshot
Skilled Nursing Care, Medicare, Infections, Coding, Reimbursement, & Documentation, Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes
November 18, 2016
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) Work Plan for fiscal year (FY) 2017 summarizes new and ongoing reviews and activities that OIG plans to pursue with respect to HHS programs and operations...

National Partnership to Improve Dementia Care and QAPI Call — December 6

Policy Snapshot
Dementia, Antipsychotics, Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement (QAPI)
November 18, 2016
Thursday, December 6 from 1:30 to 3 pm ET To register or for more information, visit MLN Connects Event Registration . Space may be limited, register early. During this call, learn about the reform of requirements for long-term care facilities,...

2017 PQRS Results: Submit an Informal Review by November 30

Policy Snapshot
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS), Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS)
November 11, 2016
In 2017, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will apply a downward payment adjustment to those who did not satisfactorily report for the Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) in 2015 including: Individual eligible...

Value Modifier: Informal Review Request Period Open Through November 30

Policy Snapshot
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS), Practice Management
November 11, 2016
The 2015 Annual Quality and Resource Use Reports (QRURs) were released on September 26. These reports show how physician groups and physician solo practitioners performed in 2015 on the quality and cost measures used to calculate the 2017 Value...

New Guide Helps Nursing Homes Tackle Antimicrobial Stewardship

Policy Snapshot
Skilled Nursing Care, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS), Antibiotics/Antimicrobials
November 11, 2016
The HHS Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has a new Nursing Home Antimicrobial Stewardship Guide , a research-based resource with step-by-step instructions and materials to help nursing homes improve antibiotic use and decrease harm...

CMS Releases 2017 Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule

Policy Snapshot
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS), Medicare, Payment, Accountable Care Organization (ACO), Coding, Reimbursement, & Documentation, Physician Fee Schedule (PFS)
November 4, 2016
On November 2, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized the 2017 Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) final rule that recognizes the importance of primary care by improving payment for chronic care management and behavioral health...

Antipsychotic Drug use in Nursing Homes: Trend Update

Policy Snapshot
Skilled Nursing Care, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS), Dementia, Antipsychotics
November 4, 2016
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is tracking the progress of the National Partnership to Improve Dementia Care in Nursing Homes by reviewing publicly reported measures. The official measure is the percentage of long-stay...