Medicare enhances readability and fraud protections with streamlined benefit statements
By
McKnight's Staff
Mar 08, 2012
Medicare recipients soon will be reaping the benefits of simplified benefit statements and will see added protections against Medicare fraud, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced Wednesday.
Federal officials crack $375 million home healthcare fraud scheme
By
McKnight's Staff
Feb 29, 2012
Federal officials have brought down what they said is the largest home health fraud scheme ever concocted. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said around $375 million was billed incorrectly to...
McKnight’s Online Expo to cover audits, payments for SNFs
Feb 14, 2012
Medicare’s recovery audit contractors (RAC) program recovered $398 million in overpayments in the first quarter of fiscal year 2012, according to a government report.
Common pay system for three post-acute care settings appears doable, new report says
Feb 09, 2012
Relief could be on the horizon for providers, regulators and other stakeholders who have struggled to find common evaluation and payment models for individuals who move between post-acute care settings,...
Making the numbers work
By
John O'Connor
Jan 13, 2012
I prefer not to think of myself as an angry person who gets annoyed by every little thing. I’m much more comfortable seeing myself as an angry person who gets annoyed by little things with the power...
Self-reported quality data from special focus facilities is unreliable, report suggests
Dec 23, 2011
Self-reported quality and staffing information from nursing homes categorized as Special Focus Facilities (SFFs) is unreliable and should not be published on Medicare’s Nursing Home Compare website,...
Berwick decries Medicare and Medicaid fraud and waste in parting interview
Dec 06, 2011
On the heels of his departure from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Donald Berwick, M.D., said he came to Washington with an agenda to eliminate waste from the system.
Government saved $17.6 billion in 2011 due to fraud prevention programs
Nov 16, 2011
A government crackdown on improper payments in federal programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, cut wasteful payments by $17.6 billion in 2011, the Office of Management and Budget reported Tuesday. The...
CMS responds to state Medicaid directors’ calls for help
Nov 11, 2011
State Medicaid directors should refrain from making short-term cuts, and instead focus on long-term changes in partnership with the federal government, the head of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services...
CMS announces new bundled payment initiative for Medicare providers
Aug 24, 2011
A new initiative under the Affordable Care Act will provide bundled payments to healthcare providers — including post-acute facilities — to improve the coordination of care of Medicare beneficiaries...