Pre-Dispute Arbitration Clause Battle Continues
EHR Incentive Programs: New Attestation Resources
The Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs attestation system is open through February 28. Providers must attest by the deadline to avoid a 2018 payment adjustment. CMS released two attestation worksheets for eligible professionals and eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals. Visit the 2016 Program Requirements webpage for more information.
Preparing Long-Term Care Providers for 2017
Compliagent has teamed up with Healthicity to bring you an informative webinar entitled "Preparing Long-Term Care Providers for 2017". This webinar covers recent enforcement data, a regulatory overview, enforcement case studies and best practice recommendations. Presented by Compliagent's COO, Paige Pennington, this webinar is a helpful resource for all Long Term Care providers looking to stay compliant in 2017.
Final Rule Cements Compliance Requirements for SNFs
On October 4, 2016, The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published the requirements for long-term care facilities, including the ACA compliance program mandate as a condition of enrollment.
SAMHSA Reporting Requirements to Reduce Risk of Diversion for Controlled Medications
With an estimated 2.1 million people in the United States suffering from substance use disorders related to prescription opioid pain relievers in 2012 and an estimated 467,000 addicted to heroin,[1] medication-assisted treatment (MAT) is at the vanguard of America’s fight back against increasingly pervasive opioid and opiate misuse
Physicians Play Key Role in Reducing Hospital Readmissions
New data released by CMS suggests that hospital readmission reduction efforts have been successful.
CEO Nick Merkin Published in Behavioral Healthcare Magazine
CEO Nick Merkin published an article in Behavioral Health Magazine.
Plans for the Quality Payment Program in 2017: Pick Your Pace
CMS has announced its plans for the 2017 Quality Payment Program for Physicians.
CEO Nick Merkin Interviewed for Tech Target Article on Securing Medical Imaging Systems
Compliagent CEO Nick Merkin interviewed for Tech Target Magazine on the importance of securing medical imaging devices.
CMS Updates Nursing Home Five-Star Quality Ratings
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) have updated their nursing home compare tool to include new quality measures. The Nursing Home Compare web tool is a resource that provides quality of care and other facility characteristic information to consumers to allow them to compare nursing homes and make informed decisions when choosing a nursing home that meets their needs or the needs of a family member.
CMS recently added six new quality measures to the website as a part of an initiative to increase the amount of nursing home information available to consumers. Five of the six new quality measures are currently live. They are:
1. Percentage of short-stay residents who were successfully discharged to the community (Medicare claims- and
Minimum Data Set (MDS)-based)
2. Percentage of short-stay residents who have had an outpatient emergency department visit (Medicare claims-
and MDS-based)
3. Percentage of short-stay residents who were rehospitalized after a nursing home admission (Medicare claims-
and MDS-based)
4. Percentage of short-stay residents who made improvements in function (MDS-based)
5. Percentage of long-stay residents whose ability to move independently worsened (MDS-based)
The sixth new quality measure, the antianxiety/hypnotic medication measure, has not yet been incorporated into the system. The five-star rating system used on the Nursing Home compare website combines ratings in each quality measure catetory to calculate an overall star rating out of five stars for each facility. The system aims to "give patients and their families important information and helps people compare nursing homes, as well as think of questions to ask when visiting a nursing home. However, the Five-Star Quality Rating system should not be a substitute for visiting a nursing home."
For the time being, the new measures are being implemented gradually and will be fully implemented by January 2017. Until then, the measures are only counted at half of their new value. For more information visit: https://www.cms.gov/Newsroom/MediaReleaseDatabase/Fact-sheets/2016-Fact-sheets-items/2016-04-27.html
