The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recognizes the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic public health emergency (PHE) on clinicians across the country and continues to offer flexibilities to provide relief where possible. Under § 414.1350(d)(3), the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) cost performance category weight is 15% of the final score for the 2020 … [Read more...] about CMS reweighting 2020 MIPS cost performance category
Health care reform
HIPAA compliance checklist
Having a complete HIPAA compliance program is important to your organization. Run through this HIPAA compliance checklist to see if you have your foundation of HIPAA compliance in place and easily retrievable. HIPAA Policies and Procedures HIPAA privacy policies, procedures, and forms HIPAA security policies, procedures, and forms HIPAA Breach Notification policy and … [Read more...] about HIPAA compliance checklist
OIG sounds the warning on improper COVID-19 vaccination billing
Providers that furnish COVID-19 vaccination and testing services need to look ahead and prepare for the massive federal false billing crackdown that is sure to come if and when the pandemic crisis finally tails off. The latest rumblings from the federal enforcement volcano occurred on April 15 when the OIG issued a relatively rare “Message From HHS-OIG Leadership” (Message) to … [Read more...] about OIG sounds the warning on improper COVID-19 vaccination billing
Two data deadlines approaching this month
Two deadlines are coming up for physician practices: The Quality Payment Program Doctors and Clinicians Preview Period will close on March 25. And the data submission period for Merit-based Incentive Payment System eligible clinicians who participated in the 2020 performance year of the Quality Payment Program (QPP) ends March 31. Preview your performance information CMS opened … [Read more...] about Two data deadlines approaching this month
CMS reopens applications for COVID-19 MIPS Extreme and Uncontrollable Circumstances Policy
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services continues to offer flexibilities to provide relief to clinicians responding to the 2019 Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. CMS is applying the MIPS automatic extreme and uncontrollable circumstances (EUC) policy to all MIPS eligible clinicians for the 2020 performance period. It is also reopening the MIPS EUC application for individual … [Read more...] about CMS reopens applications for COVID-19 MIPS Extreme and Uncontrollable Circumstances Policy
Extreme Circumstances Exception application deadline stretched to Feb. 1
To support clinicians during the COVID-19 public health emergency, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is extending the 2020 Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) Extreme and Uncontrollable Circumstances Exception application deadline to Feb. 1, 2021. For the 2020 performance year, CMS will be using its Extreme and Uncontrollable Circumstances policy … [Read more...] about Extreme Circumstances Exception application deadline stretched to Feb. 1
CMS announces historic changes to physician self-referral regs
CMS has finalized changes to the Physician Self-Referral Law. The law prohibited physicians from making referrals to an entity, for certain health care services, if the physician had a financial relationship with the entity. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced the changes to outdated federal regulations it says have burdened health care providers with … [Read more...] about CMS announces historic changes to physician self-referral regs
2018 performance info now available on Medicare Care Compare and in Provider Data Catalog
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has added new performance information to the Doctors & Clinicians section of Medicare Care Compare and in the Provider Data Catalog (PDC), the successor websites to Physician Compare and the Physician Compare Downloadable Database. Medicare patients and caregivers can use the Care Compare website to search for and … [Read more...] about 2018 performance info now available on Medicare Care Compare and in Provider Data Catalog
Clinicians in three disaster-struck states get MIPS break
If your medical practice is located within the disaster-struck states of Louisiana, California or Oregon you may be eligible for a payment adjustment. In response to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) designation of Hurricane Laura and the California and Oregon wildfires as national disasters, CMS has determined that the automatic extreme and uncontrollable … [Read more...] about Clinicians in three disaster-struck states get MIPS break
Resource ready for next year’s QRDA Implementation
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has published the Quality Reporting Document Architecture (QRDA) Category III Implementation Guide (IG), Schematron, and Sample Files for Eligible Clinicians and Eligible Professionals Programs. The 2021 CMS QRDA III IG outlines requirements for eligible clinicians and eligible professionals to report electronic clinical … [Read more...] about Resource ready for next year’s QRDA Implementation