Medicare/Medicaid

Medicare, Medicaid Briefs from Around the Nation
   Federal health officials have pretty much quashed Arizona's chances for Medicaid expansion, saying they are unlikely to fund a slimmed-down version of the state's indigent-healthcare program.
4/29/13 5:50 PM  read complete story

Video Briefing Available – 'Medicaid 101: What You Need to Know'
   The video is especially helpful to congressional staff members and others new to the issue, but it also is a useful review for anyone dealing with Medicaid issues – including operators of senior centers -- particularly as many states prepare to expand their programs.
3/7/13 1:45 PM  read complete story

Last Chance to Drop Your MA Plan -- Until Fall
   Medicare beneficiaries who are dissatisfied with their Medicare private health plans, also known as "Medicare Advantage" plans, have until Thursday, Feb. 14, to disenroll.
2/11/13 1:41 PM  read complete story

CMS Seeks Comments on Long-Term Care Hospital Data Set
   The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) seeks comments on a revision of its Long Term Care Hospital (LCTH) Continuity Assessment Record and Evaluation (CARE) Data Set.
2/4/13 2:48 PM  read complete story

Medicare Demo Winners Selected; Focus on Bundled Payments
   The initiative, authorized by the Affordable Care Act, will test whether bundling payments for episodes of care will result in improved care for beneficiaries and lower costs for Medicare.
2/1/13 11:38 AM  read complete story

Medicare Highlights from the Federal Register
   Listed here are three notices of itnerest to Medicare service providers.
1/31/13 10:15 AM  read complete story

QIOs Shown to Lower Hospitalizations for Medicare Patients
   The study's findings are important inasmuch as hospitals across the nation, under increased pressure from state and federal authorities, have begun doubling down on their efforts to improve care transitions and avoid re-hospitalizations.
1/24/13 3:47 PM  read complete story

New Medicare Rule Allows Payment for Transitional Care
   CMS now pays for "Transitional Care Management" (TCM) services, an initiative authorized by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) which supports healthy transitions after hospital stays.
1/17/13 2:49 PM  read complete story

Enrollment in Medicare Advantage Plans Affected by 'Star Ratings'
   A survey of more than 1 million Medicare beneficiaries who were either first-time enrollees or enrollees switching plans, finds a positive association between enrollment and publicly reported Medicare Advantage star ratings, which are supposed to reflect the quality of the plans.
1/16/13 2:21 PM  read complete story

MedPAC Seeks 1% Payment Hike for Hospitals – But Is It Really an Increase?
   MedPAC wants Congress to direct HHS Secy. Sebelius to increase inpatient and outpatient prospective payments by 1%. However, such an increase, in effect, would actually amount to a reduction from the pre-existing legislative formula which would yield a 1.8% increase to hospitals starting in October.
1/11/13 10:13 AM  read complete story