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Posted by Mick Polo
FDA authorizes Pfizer’s Covid booster shots for people 65 and older and other vulnerable Americans
The Food and Drug Administration authorized Pfizer and BioNTech’s Covid-19 booster shots for people 65 and older and other vulnerable Americans six months after they complete their first two doses, making many Americans eligible to receive the shots now.
Posted by Mick Polo
Joint COVID-19, flu vaccine clinics opening across US
While the COVID-19 delta variant continues to fuel outbreaks across the U.S., there is still uncertainty as to what this year’s flu season will bring. To bolster prevention efforts, one-stop clinics offering shots for both illnesses have started to emerge, CNN reported Sept. 21. The latest COVID-19 surge has pushed Idaho to activate crisis standards of care for hospitals and health systems statewide.
Posted by Mick Polo
CDC: It’s Safe to Get COVID, Flu Vaccines at Same Time
When the CDC released its latest round of recommendations regarding seasonal flu vaccines, the agency made one notable update: Flu vaccines and COVID-19 vaccines can now be given simultaneously.
Posted by Mick Polo
Nearly 250 new CPT codes in store for 2022
The AMA has released the 2022 Current Procedural Terminology code set, which incorporates a series of 24 vaccine-specific codes that are the model for efficiently reporting and tracking immunizations and administrative services against the coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2).
Posted by Mick Polo
Key parts of Biden’s plan to confront delta variant surge
President Joe Biden has unveiled a new “action plan” plan to confront the COVID-19 surge that’s being driven by the spread of the delta variant. It mandates vaccines for federal workers and contractors and certain health care workers, requires employees at companies with 100 or more workers to be vaccinated or tested weekly, lays the groundwork for a booster shot campaign and recommends that large venues require proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test. The plan also makes recommendations on keeping schools open.
Posted by Mick Polo
CMS expands Medicare payments for at-home COVID-19 vaccinations
The policy is meant to ensure that at-risk patients in smaller settings have the same opportunities as others to receive the vaccination.
Posted by Mick Polo
Ohio Medicaid Announces Go-Live Date for Next Generation Managed Care
The Ohio Department of Medicaid (ODM) today projected a go-live date for the Next Generation managed care launch for July 1, 2022.
Posted by Mick Polo
US to offer COVID-19 boosters after 6 months instead of 8
The U.S. will likely offer booster shots for fully vaccinated Americans six months after their last COVID-19 vaccine was administered, instead of the eight-month gap that had been previously announced, a source familiar with the planning process told The Wall Street Journal Aug. 25.
Posted by Mick Polo
Most private health plans no longer waiving cost-sharing for COVID-19 care
Seventy-two percent of the country’s largest health plans are no longer waiving out-of-pocket costs for COVID-19 treatment, according to research released Aug. 19 by the Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker.
Posted by Mick Polo
How an effective revenue cycle management strategy can help reduce burnout
Despite this help, the economic impact of COVID-19 still weighs heavily on healthcare providers and practice staff. To ensure a healthy future and help ease the burnout providers and staff contend with, practices must take a hard look at their internal operations and make changes that put them on solid financial footing. A key to this is optimizing the revenue cycle.
Posted by Mick Polo
Coronavirus in the U.S.: Latest Map and Case Count
The national outlook is worsening quickly, with a fourfold increase in new cases per day over the last month. Hospitalizations and deaths are also growing, but at far lower rates than cases.
Posted by Mick Polo
3 states responsible for 40% of COVID-19 cases
Florida, Texas and Missouri accounted for 40 percent of new COVID-19 cases reported nationwide this week, Jeff Zients, the White House’s COVID-19 response coordinator, said July 22.
Posted by Mick Polo
AMA: Wake up to financial peril facing Medicare payment system
The American Medical Association (AMA) raised concern today that Congress seems “indifferent” to the fiscal uncertainty facing the Medicare physician payment system. In a letter to congressional leaders, the AMA pointed out that physician practices face a 9.75 percent cut on January 1.
Posted by Mick Polo
Supreme Court Upholds Site-Neutral Pay Cuts
The U.S. Supreme Court on June 28 declined to hear an appeal challenging HHS’ site-neutral payment policy, allowing reimbursement cuts to move forward, according to Bloomberg Law.
Posted by Mick Polo
Who Is (And Isn't) Getting Vaccinated, In 4 Charts
Young adults are less likely to be vaccinated against Covid-19 than other age groups—and nearly 25% of those between 18 and 39 said they probably or definitely won’t get vaccinated, according to data from CDC.
Posted by Mick Polo
HHS Issues Revised Notice of Reporting Requirements and Reporting Timeline for Recipients of Provider Relief Fund Payments
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is releasing revised reporting requirements for recipients of Provider Relief Fund (PRF) payments. This announcement includes expanding the amount of time providers will have to report information, aims to reduce burdens on smaller providers, and extends key deadlines for expending PRF payments for recipients who received payments after June 30, 2020.
Posted by Mick Polo
How to evaluate telehealth’s true impact in your physician practice
Virtual visits are here to stay, but how can medicine measure telehealth’s value to ensure that physicians and other clinicians, patients, payers and society are getting the most possible from the technology?
Posted by Mick Polo
Get Paid for Noncovered COVID-19 Vaccine Fees
HHS program reimburses healthcare providers and facilities for testing, treatment, and vaccine administration fees associated with insured patients.
Posted by Mick Polo
How COVID-19 Affects the Telehealth, Remote Patient Monitoring Landscape
The coronavirus pandemic has dramatically altered the telehealth landscape, pushing providers to adopt or expand connected health platforms and tools to meet the demand for virtual care to replace in-person services.
Posted by Mick Polo
2% Medicare Sequester Cuts Delayed Through End of 2021
A two percent cut to Medicare reimbursement will be paused until the end of the year, CMS recently announced. The announcement via the MLN Connects newsletter on April 16th stated that the Medicare sequestration will not be applied to Medicare fee-for-service claims through Dec. 31, 2021, per a new federal law.