FY22 rule for the Inpatient Prospective Payment System finalizes a payment increase and key policy updates
The base payment increase for hospital inpatient services in FY22 will be 2.5%, according to a final rule issued by CMS.
A closer look at the new surprise billing regulations: How cost sharing will be calculated
The qualifying payment amount that establishes a patient's cost sharing for out-of-network care also is intended to factor into negotiations between providers and health plans regarding payment.
Healthcare News of Note: Few consumers are using publicly posted negotiated prices to comparison shop for healthcare services
Healthcare News of Note for healthcare finance professionals is a roundup of recent news articles: Little use of price transparency information to comparison shop for healthcare services, the nursing shortage being felt throughout the U.S., and cash payers being charged more for the same services than patients with insurance.
A closer look at the new surprise billing regulations: The impact on balance billing
New regulations on surprise billing will affect hospital billing processes starting in 2022.
Government agencies issue the first set of regulations restricting surprise billing
In a development that many healthcare stakeholders have awaited for months, four federal agencies on Thursday, July 1 released new regulations prohibiting surprise billing in many scenarios.
Supreme Court leaves Affordable Care Act intact, but stakeholders say healthcare reform still has a ways to go
Hospital advocates applauded a Supreme Court ruling June 17 that left the Affordable Care Act in place.
HHS sends letter to providers, insurers reinforcing requirements for COVID-19 vaccination and testing to be free for all recipients
Xavier Becerra, secretary of HHS, issued a letter emphasizing that out-of-pocket fees for COVID-19-related services are prohibited.
UnitedHealthcare reverses course on new approach to emergency department claims, but perhaps only temporarily
UHC had announced this week that it would evaluate claims starting July 1 to determine whether ED visits were for emergent or nonemergent events.
Looming UnitedHealthcare policy on coverage of emergency department care draws opposition from hospitals, physicians
In a move strongly opposed by provider associations, UnitedHealthcare soon will start denying coverage of ED care that it deems to have been nonemergent.
CMS nearly doubles the payment rate for administering the COVID-19 vaccine in a Medicare beneficiary’s home
A payment increase for in-home COVID-19 vaccine administration is part of a strategy to improve vaccination rates, which have slowed in recent weeks.