Nick Hut
About the Author
Nick Hut
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With insolvency looming for the Medicare Hospital Insurance Trust Fund, provider payments could be impacted
The Medicare Hospital Insurance Trust Fund, used to pay for Part A hospital care, is on track to become insolvent as soon as 2024. Insolvency could lead to delays in payments to providers and adversely affect patient access.
GAO report examines how pass-through status affects Medicare payments for drugs used in outpatient care
A Government Accountability Office report finds that Medicare pays more to cover drugs used in hospital outpatient settings when pass-through payment status is in effect.
After OIG says hospitals may be engaging in upcoding, CMS and AHA dispute the finding
The HHS Office of Inspector General says a significant rise in high-severity inpatient admissions with no corresponding increase in length of stay indicates a possible pattern of upcoding by hospitals in recent years.
New federal guidance seeks to clarify reimbursement of COVID-19 testing and vaccinations
Federal agencies have issued new guidance intended to make it easier for healthcare providers to receive reimbursement for administering COVID-19 tests to insured individuals and for giving vaccinations to the uninsured.
Prospective HHS secretary: ‘We will do robust enforcement to make sure that price transparency is there for all Americans’
Xavier Becerra, the nominee to be secretary of Health and Human Services in the Biden administration, said transparency is a vital step in addressing the issue of healthcare prices.
News Briefs: Latest patient volume data reveals some of the challenges facing hospitals in the COVID-19 era
Recent industry reports have quantified the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on hospital patient volume.
RAND report finds regulating hospital prices would be the most effective way to reduce healthcare spending, but are the proposals viable?
The American Hospital Association had a negative reaction to study findings showing that regulation of hospital prices would be the most effective way to reduce prices paid by commercial insurers.
Healthcare finance leaders emphasize efficiency and consider partnerships in response to ongoing trends
To address the challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare finance leaders are considering both internal and external solutions, according to recently issued reports.
January brings a halt to job gains for hospitals and the healthcare industry
January numbers form the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show that hospitals and the healthcare industry lost jobs after several months of gains.
Hospital groups ask Supreme Court to reverse payment cuts to 340B hospitals, off-campus provider-based departments
The American Hospital Association and other hospital groups are challenging 2020 appeals court decisions that allow HHS to continue slashing payments to 340B hospitals and to off-campus provider-based departments.