Nick Hut
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Nick Hut
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Massive federal spending bill alleviates reimbursement concerns for hospitals, but less so for physicians
Healthcare provider advocates applauded the inclusion of key reimbursement relief measures and other policies in a proposed federal spending bill for FY23, although physician groups expressed concern about the outlook for their constituents. With a divided Congress looking to muster the votes to pass the legislation before a self-imposed deadline of week’s end, the bill includes many…
The hospital labor picture could be improving, but a full financial recovery isn’t imminent
The financial and operational stress that has hampered hospitals may be easing in some ways, but probably not enough to qualify as a holiday gift for a beleaguered industry. Recent reports from credit-rating agencies have presented a mixed outlook. For example, Fitch Ratings released an analysis in December showing “incremental signs of improvement” in the staffing situation…
New federal rule aims to eventually ease prior authorization processes
CMS is seeking to improve the prior authorization process in government programs such as Medicare Advantage (MA) and Medicaid, although the core provisions would not begin until 2026. The agency this week updated a Trump administration proposed rule with new proposals to “improve patient and provider access to health information and streamline processes related to prior authorization…
Reimbursement changes for 340B drugs reverberate in Medicare’s 2023 outpatient payment final rule
The Medicare payment rate for hospital outpatient services will increase significantly in 2023, but the net gain for the sector will be less than is apparent at first glance. Payment rates for hospital outpatient care and ambulatory surgical centers technically will increase by 3.8% over 2022 for facilities that meet quality-reporting requirements, CMS said in…
Bringing ESG principles to healthcare
Hospitals and health systems that don’t prioritize environmental sustainability arguably fail to do right by their communities, but more and more also may face a problem of greater short-term urgency. Namely, their access to capital could be constrained as the investor community looks to apply ESG principles to assessments of risks and opportunities. “I just…
Hospitals work to make the supply chain green
Even with all the challenges facing hospitals and health systems these days, the push to make operations more environmentally sustainable is becoming viewed less as a differentiator and more as an essential strategy. And for those organizations that have mastered energy conservation methods and made progress in greening their facilities and physical infrastructure, the supply…
HHS says the co-provider requirement for good-faith estimates is being tabled indefinitely
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has given hospitals and other healthcare providers a break on enforcement of a looming requirement for co-providers to be included on good-faith estimates (GFEs) furnished to uninsured patients. HHS announced in an updated FAQ that it will continue to exercise “enforcement discretion” instead of potentially penalizing providers starting Jan.…
Breaking down Medicare’s controversial physician payment update for 2023
With 2023 Medicare regulations potentially inflicting significant financial constraints on physician practices, advocates are calling on Congress to implement a fix before Jan. 1. CMS’s final rule for Medicare physician payments set the conversion factor at $33.06, a reduction of $1.55 — or 4.5% — from 2022. The decrease stems from a statutorily required update of 0%…
News Briefs: TMA returns to court over concerns about the No Surprises Act’s arbitration process
The Texas Medical Association has gone to court for a second time in less than a year over the independent dispute resolution process that’s part of the No Surprises Act.
Final regulations for rural emergency hospitals set the stage for first year of eligibility
REHs will be reimbursed for providing emergency care and outpatient services and must abide by terms and conditions that include limiting average length of stay to 24 hours.