Medicare news from FierceHealthFinance
News
Group wants new incentives for e-ordering imaging
Right now, there's a clear consensus that private and public health plans should reward the use of e-prescribing, which has been shown to improve safety and cut costs. Now, a group is arguing that... Read more...
MedPAC wants physician payment incentives changed
In an announcement likely to be taken seriously--as its recommendations may soon be implemented automatically--MedPAC has released a report suggesting that Medicare change the way it pays providers... Read more...
HFMA ANI 2009: News and advice from the RAC front
It's not enough that Medicare's Recovery Audit Contractor program is going into full swing--CMS is also making some changes as it steams into its national rollout. Here's an update on some of the... Read more...
HFMA ANI 2009: Tenet's experiences with RACs
Audit, audit, audit -- and while you're at it, document, document and document some more. Those are the mantras that have helped one Tenet hospital survive an initial audit by the dreaded Recovery... Read more...
Preparing for the 'big RAC attack'
No, Recovery Audit Contractors aren't a joke--though one wag recently dubbed their coming the "big RAC attack"--and making sure your institution survives their scrutiny unscathed is a serious... Read more...
Hospital lobby asked to look for healthcare savings
Can hospitals really deliver healthcare savings? The Senate Finance Committee is asking them to deliver, specifically by finding ways to shave costs off of Medicare and Medicaid over the next decade.... Read more...
Schumer: Public health plans should follow commercial rules
Despite the rising tide of support for public health plans, heaven knows there are forces allied to push back. In a bid to appease some of those forces, notably the members of the health industry... Read more...
Costs for bariatric surgery decline
Here's a sign that bariatric surgery as a discipline is maturing: The average rate of post-surgical and other complications for patients undergoing bariatric surgery--and thus, the cost of their... Read more...
Medicaid fees for MDs grow more slowly than Medicaid; Ohio hospital cuts staffing costs by $10M;
> Medicaid physician fees went up 15.1 percent between 2003 and 2008, narrowing, but not closing, the gap between Medicare and Medicaid rates. Article > Surgeon/MBA Dr. Kenneth Cohn suggests a... Read more...
SPOTLIGHT: Medicare incentives aren't enough to promote EMRs
A new analysis suggests that federal stimulus incentives intended to stimulate the use of EMRs simply won't be enough. The report, by PricewaterhouseCoopers, concludes that a 500-bed hospital would... Read more...
