Claims Paid Under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule

To the extent possible, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is working with Congress, health care providers, and the beneficiary community to avoid disruption in the delivery of health care services and payment of claims for physicians, non-physician practitioners, and other Fee-For-Service (FFS) providers of services paid under the Medicare physician fee schedule, [...]

Doctors Win a Reprieve from Medicare Pay Cut

From the Wall Street Journal Health Blog:
The brinkmanship over Medicare’s payments to doctors has gone to a new level.
For those of you new to the issue, a quick summary: A few years back, Congress created a Medicare funding formula that suggests payments to physicians should be cut. But each year, just before the pay cut [...]

Medical helicopters collide at hospital

From CNN.com
At least seven people died and three were critically injured after a midair crash between two medical helicopters at an Arizona hospital on Sunday, authorities said.
At least one person killed in the crash, which occurred at 3:45 p.m., was a patient, according to FAA communications manager Ian Gregor.
The patient and two others were aboard [...]

Iowa Floods Affecting Hospice Care

From Pallimed:
By now the news about the 2008 Midwestern flood is no longer the lead story in the news cycle. The president has been to some of the affected areas, and the presidential candidates have stopped by as well. Disasters of this magnitude affect the health care in a community because your coronary plaque or [...]

Proposed rule would alter rural-clinic regulations

From Modern Healthcare (free subscription required)
The CMS has issued a proposed rule that would update certification and participation regulations, as well as payment provisions, for rural health clinics and federally qualified health centers.
In addition to establishing location requirements—such as clinics being located in nonurbanized areas defined by the U.S. Census Bureau—and exception criteria for rural [...]

Medicare Pricing Frozen As Congress Leaves Town

From the Washington Post:
With congressional leaders engaged in heated brinkmanship, the Bush administration yesterday gave a reprieve to thousands of doctors expecting to get hit Tuesday with a 10.6 percent cut in Medicare payments.

The Department of Health and Human Services will essentially freeze the current pricing system because Congress left town yesterday for a midsummer [...]

Bill Blocking Medicare Pay Cuts to Docs Stalls in Senate

From the Wall Street Journal Health Blog:
Time after time, Congress has jumped in at the last minute to block Medicare payment cuts to doctors. Will this be the time when time runs out?
A bill to block a 10.6% reduction in Medicare reimbursements stalled in the Senate yesterday. The cuts will take effect on July 1 [...]

Patient Feedback More Important Than Ever to Hospitals

From ACHE News (referencing Pantagraph):
The latest trend in hospital patient care is to encourage patients and their relatives to express concerns, compliments or suggestions to medical staff before the patient is discharged or complications arise. Many hospitals have polled patients for some time, but more are publicly disclosing survey results as part of the federal [...]

Experts Predict Visits by Baby Boomers Will Soon Strain Emergency Departments

From ACHE News (referencing JAMA):
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports a disproportional increase in the number of emergency department patients aged 65 years or older. Although emergency rooms are equipped to see patients of all ages, the aging of the Baby Boomer generation could lead to overcrowding because those patients are often [...]

EMTALA Flexibility Proposed to Relieve On-Call Shortages

From ACHE News (referencing American Medical News)
In April, the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed a modification to its on-call rules under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA). CMS proposed allowing hospitals with emergency departments to form community call plans. According to the rule change, community on-call plans would provide [...]