On Tuesday, Rep. Michael Burgess, MD (R-TX) reintroduced a package to repeal the flawed sustainable growth rate formula for setting Medicare fees. Known as the “Medicare and CHIP Reauthorization Act” (MACRA), the bill will come for a vote in the House Thursday morning. While the bill is generally expected to breeze through the House, the Senate vote is less predictable. READ MORE
On Thursday, bipartisan Congressional leaders unveiled the preliminary details of their plan to permanently fix the flawed Sustainable Growth Rate formula. READ MORE
New for 2015, Medicare now reimburses for physicians for managing chronic care for their beneficiaries. Separate payment of about $43 for this service will be provided through the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule using CPT code 99490 for non face-to-face care management/coordination. The beneficiary’s standard coinsurance applies. READ MORE
An Indiana anesthesia group recently was among the first in the nation to submit quality data for the Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) to the Anesthesia Quality Institute’s Qualified Clinical Data Registry. READ MORE
A flurry of recent activity has renewed hope that a permanent fix to the flawed Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) methodology will be enacted. The question is, “When?” READ MORE
Rumors of impending Phase Two HIPAA audits are growing about as fast as the list of HIPAA breaches. But are you ready? And what should you expect? READ MORE
For pain specialists, participating in the Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) will be a little different than for their colleagues performing only anesthesia services since there are many measures that may apply to their pain practice. READ MORE
“CMS is ready for ICD-10.” That was the assessment by Marilyn Tavenner, outgoing administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, after recently completing their first week of end-to-end testing. READ MORE
According to a report by CNBC in late 2014, a shortage of medical coders could reach as much as 50 percent leading into 2015. For some practices, a logical solution will be outsourcing their medical coding to a revenue cycle management company, like CIPROMS. As you consider whether to outsource your medical coding, here are a few questions to ask. READ MORE
