NCDS Updates

Industry NewsNEW WEBSITE!!Back To All PostsNewsNEW WEBSITE!!NOV 18th 2020 –NCDSINC.COMCheck out our redesigned website with more information about who we are and who we serve, how we do it and what we can do for you! www.ncdsinc.comQuestions?Newsletter Sign up to receive our insights straight to your inbox!Submit

Industry NewsMCLAREN ST. LUKE’S SUES PROMEDICA OVER DROPPING COVERAGEBack To All PostsNewsMcLaren St. Luke’s Sues ProMedica over Dropping CoverageBROOKS SUTHERLAND AND TOM TROY -TOLEDOBLADE.COMMcLaren St. Luke’s Hospital announced Wednesday it has filed a federal antitrust lawsuit against ProMedica Health System alleging anticompetitive business practices.   The Maumee hospital seeks to stop ProMedica from terminating the

Industry NewsAMA UPDATES CPT CODE SET TO INCLUDE COVID-19 VACCINE CODESBack To All PostsNewsAMA Updates CPT Code Set to Include COVID-19 Vaccine CodesJACQUELINE LAPOINTE  – REVCYCLEINTELLIGENCE.COMThe organization approved a unique CPT code for each of two COVID-19 vaccines to allow for better tracking, reporting, and analysis of immunization efforts. November 11, 2020 – The American Medical Association

Industry NewsRENEWAL OF DETERMINATION THAT A PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY EXISTSBack To All PostsNewsRenewal of Determination That A Public Health Emergency ExistsOCT 2, 2020 – PHE.GOVAs a result of the continued consequences of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, on this date and after consultation with public health officials as necessary, I, Alex M. Azar II,

Industry NewsCOVID-19 EMERGENCY DECLARATION BLANKET WAIVERS FOR HEALTH CARE PROVIDERSBack To All PostsNewsCOVID-19 Emergency Declaration Blanket Waivers for Health Care ProvidersNOV 18th 2020 – CMS.GOVThe Trump Administration is taking aggressive actions and exercising regulatory flexibilities to help healthcare providers contain the spread of 2019 Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19). CMS is empowered to take proactive steps

Industry NewsCMS CHANGES MEDICARE PAYMENT TO SUPPORT FASTER COVID-19 DIAGNOSTIC TESTINGBack To All PostsNewsCMS Changes Medicare Payment to Support Faster Covid-19 Diagnostic TestingOct 15, 2020 – CMS.GOVUnder President Trump’s leadership, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) today announced new actions to pay for expedited coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) test results. CMS previously took action in April

Industry NewsHELPING PATIENTS AND DOCTORS CONNECT VIRTUALLY, IN MEANINGFUL WAYS.Back To All PostsNewsHelping patients and doctors connect virtually, in meaningful ways.PRODUCT RECOMMENDATION –WWW.MYEMDEE.COMDesigned by doctors, loved by patientsAt Emdee, we’re on a mission to simplify the telemedicine experience, so patients and providers can easily connect in meaningful ways.Our healthcare enhancement app has been designed by physicians,

President Trump is providing support to healthcare providers fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. On March 27, 2020, the President signed the bipartisan CARES Act that provides $100 billion in relief funds to hospitals and other healthcare providers on the front lines of the coronavirus response.

After declining in the first two weeks of the year, flu activity jumped in the week ending Jan. 18, according to the CDC’s most recent Flu View report. Six things to know: 1. The CDC estimates flu has caused 15 million illnesses,140,000 hospitalizations and 8,200 deaths this season.

Texas is now among more than a dozen states that have cracked down on the practice of surprise medical billing.Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, signed legislation Friday shielding patients from getting a huge bill when their insurance company and medical provider can’t agree on payment.

One point drew clear agreement Tuesday during a House subcommittee hearing: When it comes to the problem of surprise medical bills, the solution must protect patients —not demand that they be great negotiators.

Surrounded by patients who told horror stories of being stuck with hefty bills, President Donald Trump recently waded into a widespread health care problem for which almost everyone —even those with insurance —is at risk: surprise medical billing.

CMSis delaying for two years implementation of E/Mcoding reforms that affect physician payment, in a move applauded by theAmerican Medical Association.The final 2019 physician fee schedule andquality payment program rule also includes updates on interoperability, telehealth and drug costs.

More than 80,000 Americans died of the flu in the winter of 2017-2018, the highest number in over a decade, federal health officials said last week.Although 90 percent of those deaths were in people over age 65, the flu alsokilled180youngchildrenandteenagers, more than in any other year since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began using its current surveillance methods.

Ohio is a step closer to forcing some Medicaid recipients to get jobs if they receive the government assistance.The Ohio Department of Medicaid on Monday said it had officially submitted its request to create the work requirements for those covered through the expansion of Medicaid, the state-federal health insurance program that covers residents with low incomes or disabilities.

Ohio is a step closer to forcing some Medicaid recipients to get jobs if they receive the government assistance.The Ohio Department of Medicaid on Monday said it had officially submitted its request to create the work requirements for those covered through the expansion of Medicaid, the state-federal health insurance program that covers residents with low incomes or disabilities.

The AMA, along with national physician specialty societies, recently sent a letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) asking that the 2018 Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) reporting period be reduced from a full calendar year to a minimum of 90 consecutive days. That should happen because of a lack of timely and direct notification about whether a physician is considered MIPS-eligible.

It seems like the end of the 2015 PQRS reporting period wasn’t that long ago, with registries concluding their submission process on March 31st. But we are now more than halfway through 2016 with the end of the service year in sight. CMS will begin accepting PQRS submissions after December 31st. With a PQRS registry’s help, practices can start the reporting process and finish their submission any time before the March 31st, 2017 deadline.

If all of the talk about PQRS, MIPS, APMsQRURsand MACRA have you feeling dazed and confused, you are not alone! The healthcare market is abuzz with lots of initials and abbreviations lately and understanding all of these is key to comprehending the physician payment models of the future.

Fifty years ago, Avedis Donabedian, MD, MPH, of the University of Michigan, published his seminal paper, “Evaluating the Quality of Medical Care,” and created a framework that is still used tomeasurehealthcarequality. Donabedian divided quality measures into three categories: structure, processes and outcomes.