CMS and its contractors will conduct three ICD-10-CM/PCS testing periods in November, March, and June, according to a recent MedLearn Matters (MM8858).
Although only about 25% of hospitals currently outsource their CDI efforts, roughly 70% plan to partner with a private firm in one form or another by the third quarter of 2015, according to a July 29 release from Black Book...Read More »
The 2015 IPPS final rule, released August 4, focuses on quality initiatives and includes no ICD-9-CM diagnosis or procedure code changes. However, CMS did finalize some MS-DRG changes for Fiscal Year 2015.Read More »
October 1, 2015, will be the new ICD-10 implementation date, according to the final rule, Administrative Simplification: Change to the Compliance Date for the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD–10–CM and ICD-10-PCS) Medical Data Code Set, published...Read More »
A significant portion of updates in the Fiscal Year 2015 IPPS final rule pertain to the Hospital Value-Based Purchasing (VBP) Program, the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program, and the Hospital-Acquired Condition (HAC) Reduction Program.Read More »
Safety net hospitals—those with a Medicare Disproportionate Share patient percentage in the highest quartile—have a higher risk of reimbursement reductions associated with various Value-Based Purchasing (VBP) initiatives such as the Hospital Readmission Reduction Program (HRRP), according to a...Read More »