Kissito Alerts May 18
May 18, 2009 by admin
Filed under Healthcare Alerts
Source: Health Care Finance News
Title: Hospital advocates address delivery system reform
Date: 5/18/09
URL: www.healthcarefinancenews.com/news/hospital-advocates-address-delivery-system-reform
- The AHA supports proposals to develop a comprehensive strategy to address workforce shortages, redistribute unused graduate medical slots to increase access to primary care and ban certain physician referrals to a hospital in which the physician has an ownership interest.
- Premier endorsed value based purchasing as a tool that should be applied not only to existing Medicare models but also to the longer term approaches such as bundled payments and the creation of accountable care Organizations.
Source: Health Care Finance News
Title: CMS extends timeline for medicare secondary
Date: 5/18/09
URL: www.healthcarefinancenews.com/news/cms-extends-timeline-medicare-secondary-payer-reporting
- CMS has extended its implementation schedule for new Medicare Secondary Payer reporting requirements under the Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP Extension Act of 2007.
- The requirements are intended to ensure that the Medicare program does not pay for a beneficiary’s care when another insurer has primary responsibility.
- Organizations subject to the provisions can register for reporting through Sept. 30 and pre-test their electronic reporting from July 1, 2009 through May 30, 2010.
Source: Health Care Finance News
Title: Analysis: home health care for chronic patients saves medicare $1.71B
Date: 5/14/09
URL: www.healthcarefinancenews.com/news/analysis-home-healthcare-chronic-patients-saves-medicare-171b
- Patients with diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or congestive heart failure who used home health care within three months of discharge from a hospital cost the program 1.71B less than those who used other forms of post acute care over a two years period.
- About 8.9% of Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries currently used home health services.
- Approximately 86% of the Medicare population has one chronic condition, 66% have two or more and 40% have three or more.
- Avalere estimated that if all chronic care patients in the study used home health care rather than post acute care, Medicare could have spent 1.77B less over the 05-06 period.
Source: Health Care Finance News
Title: Congress promises obama health reform legislation by july 31
Date: 5/14/09
URL: www.healthcarefinancenews.com/news/congress-promises-obama-health-reform-legislation-july-31
- Last night Obama said Congress has promised to have comprehensive health care reform legislation passed by July 31.
- SFC leaders said Congress has not yet begun to tackle the most difficult parts of the health care debate, including how to fund the reform, the destiny of the employer health care tax exclusion and a potential national health plan to compete with private market.
Sebelius and DeParle said they are spending much of their time negotiating with Congress to promote the president’s reform plans
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