November 3, 2010
CMS Sets 2011 Hospital Outpatient, Ambulatory Surgical Center Rates |
|
Medicare beneficiaries will see a decline in their out-of-pocket costs for services they receive in hospital outpatient departments (HOPDs) in calendar year (CY) 2011 under provisions in a final rule with comment period issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The final rule with comment period updates payment rates and policies for services furnished in HOPDs and ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs), and implements changes required by the Affordable Care Act of 2010.
The Affordable Care Act - which was enacted as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 - waives beneficiary cost-sharing for most Medicare-covered preventive services, such as screening mammograms and screening colonoscopies. This means that, for most preventive services, beneficiaries will not have to satisfy their Part B deductible before Medicare will pay. In addition, for these services, beneficiaries will not have to pay their co-payment (typically 20% of the Medicare payment amount) for the physician's or the facility's portion of the service.
Click HERE to read complete ruling.
CMS |
Health Benefits Appear On Rise |
|
The number of small businesses offering health insurance to workers is projected to increase sharply this year, recent data show, a shift that researchers attribute to a tax credit in the health law. Many small businesses, however, remain opposed to the law.
Some small businesses are benefiting from portions of the law, which includes a tax credit beginning this year that covers as much as 35% of a company's insurance premiums
According to a report by Bernstein Research in New York, the percentage of employers with between three and nine workers and which are offering insurance has increased to 59% this year, up from 46% last year. The report relies on data from a September survey by the nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation.
Wall Street Journal |
Study: Physicians Disagree on Best Methods for Improving Reimbursement |
|
Physicians are dissatisfied with Medicare reimbursement, though they show little consensus for major proposals to reform, according to a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
Researchers conducted a national survey of physicians between June 25 and Oct. 31, 2009, that asked physicians to rate their support for several reimbursement reform proposals.
The proposals included rewarding quality with financial incentives, bundling payments for episodes of care, shifting payments from procedures to management and consulting services, increasing pay to generalists and offsetting increased pay to generalists with reduction in pay for other specialties.
Becker's ASC Review |
Alabama Medicaid Drug Formula Could Be Model for Other States |
|
Alabama's new method of calculating Medicaid drug reimbursement for pharmacists is expected to save the state $30.5 million this year and could be a model for other states as they search for a replacement to a widely used formula that several state and federal courts have deemed flawed.
Alabama's new method, called average acquisition cost, is based on invoices drug manufacturers and wholesalers send to pharmacists. Previously, reimbursements were calculated by the average wholesale price, based on manufacturers' list prices that courts have said result in states overpaying pharmacies. That is the way it is still calculated in nearly all states, according to Kelli D. Littlejohn, PharmD, pharmacy director for the Alabama Medicaid Agency.
AMA |
Only a Few Spots Remain in Nov. Comprehensive Review and Cadaver Workshop |
|
Register today to secure one of the few remaining oepn spots in the Comprehensive Review Course and Cadaver Workshop in Interventional Pain Management on November 19-21 in Memphis, Tenn.
This course offers basic, intermediate, and comprehensive interventional pain management examintion levels to assure a focused learning experience.
With our excellent participant/instructor ratio, you will have the opportunity for personal interaction with our highly distinguished faculty of renowned teachers and lecturers, creating a thorough and compelling educational experience.
During the 2½-day Comprehensive Review Course and Cadaver Workshop, you can improve existing skills and/or learn new techniques. Whether you have been practicing interventional pain management for many years or are new to the field with basic skills, we are confident you will find this course and workshop to be beneficial - as it is essential that we continue learning and exploring new procedures and techniques in our specialty. Click HERE to register.
The course will take place at the Memphis Peabody on Friday and at the Medical Education and Research Institute (MERI) on Saturday and Sunday.
Secure your place by registering today! |
CCPM Review Course Won't Be Offered Again Until Aug. 2011 |
|
Register today to attend the Billing, Coding and Practice Management Review Course on November 19-20 in Memphis, TN. This will be the last time this year this course will be offered and it will only be offered one time next year (August 3-4 in St. Louis).
The course is designed to meet the unique billing, coding and practice management needs of interventional pain physicians, health care professionals, and their staff. experience.
The Comprehensive Review Course in Coding, Compliance and Practice Management is not only an essential element in Interventional Pain Management, but also beneficial to you as a physician and to your practice. Coding, Compliance and Practice Management is an area which is critical to our field yet one in which few have adequate training. In today's environment of ever-changing regulations and litigations, we cannot afford to ignore this important and complex subject.
Click HERE to register.
Register Online |
California Nurse Anesthetists Can Practice Independently, Judge Rules |
|
A California judge has ruled that certified registered nurse anesthetists can work without physician supervision.
The ruling stems from a lawsuit filed by the California Medical Assn. and the California Society of Anesthesiologists against California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. The suit sought to block the governor's decision to opt out of a Medicare provision that requires physician supervision of nurses administering anesthesia. California is among 16 states that opted out of the federal rule.
At issue is whether California law requires physician supervision of nurses administering anesthesia. State physician organizations say it does, but state nursing groups say it doesn't.
AMA |
Report: Insurers, Brokers are Hindering Healthcare Cost Reductions |
|
BETHESDA, MD - The Healthcare Performance Management Institute says recent research indicates insurers and benefits consultants are hindering employers' efforts to reduce healthcare costs.
HPM's "Barriers to Reducing and Controlling Healthcare Costs" examines what officials say are misguided incentives that riddle the insurance industry.
"Insurers and brokers have little incentive to help their clients reduce spending on health benefits," said George Pantos, executive director of the HPM Institute. "After all, most brokers and consultants are paid on commission - so the higher the cost of the policy they sell, the more money they make."
Healthcare Finance News |
"Blue Button" Technology Pushed to Give Patients Instant Access to Medical Records |
|
As members of the public-private Connecting for Health collaborative met last winter, several people spoke offhandedly about how great it would be if there were some simple way for patients to download all of their health records from the Web.
That way, patients would have easy access to their own health information, and physicians wouldn't have to spend so much time putting together records requests. The people at the Jan. 27 meeting even came up with a term to describe what they imagined: the "blue button."
Only nine months later, that concept has gone from what-if to reality. Even though, technically, what's being used isn't a button, and it isn't blue.
American Medical Association |
United States Prescription Painkillers A Widespread Addiction |
|
Prescription painkiller abuse is on the up rise and keeps continuing to grow according to a study done by Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and Centers of Disease Control (CDC).
Dr.Thomas Frieden, Director of the CDC states prescripton medications help persons but there is a need to make sure they are properly used and done safely.
By using information from the SAMHSA Drug Abuse Warning Network, it was discovered that emergency room visits for non-medical use of prescripton medications now are equaled to those of illicit drugs. Visits have now increased by 111 percent between 2004 and 2008, which equaled 144,644 to 305,885. These increases covered all ages and gender.
Detroit Examiner |
Physicians Wanted |
|
Visit the ASIPP Web site to find available positions for IPM physicians.
Physicians Wanted |
|
All contents
Copyright © 2008
American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians ®
81 Lakeview Drive, Paducah, KY 42001
Phone 270.554.9412, Fax 270.554.5394
E-mail asipp@asipp.org
|
