Regulators expected to rescind physician signature requirement for lab requisition forms
Feb 15, 2011
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has indicated that it might rescind a rule that requires physician signatures on requisitions for all clinical laboratory tests paid for by Medicare, as part...
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Donald Berwick surprised lawmakers Thursday when he reported better-than-expected Medicare Advantage enrollment numbers. In just his second occasion...
Proposed federal rule would grant nursing home residents, therapy patients more power to complain about...
Feb 04, 2011
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has proposed a new rule that would require an expanded class of providers and suppliers of Medicare services to alert beneficiaries to the existence of quality...
Obama renominates Berwick to head CMS, contentious hearings promised
Jan 28, 2011
President Obama announced Wednesday that he has renominated Donald Berwick to head the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, six months after naming him chief during a Congressional recess. The first...
Federal regulators to answer questions at long-term care Open Door Forum
Jan 21, 2011
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will host a Skilled Nursing Facility/Long-Term Care Open Door Forum conference call at 2 p.m. (Easter Standard Time) Tuesday for all interested stakeholders....
Spending for long-term care grew 3.1% in 2009, CMS report finds
Jan 07, 2011
U.S. healthcare spending for freestanding nursing care facilities and continuing care retirement communities expanded by 3.1% in 2009 to $137 billion, according to a report from the Centers for Medicare...
CMS stalls on home health, hospice certification requirements
Jan 06, 2011
There will be a three-month delay before the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services enforces a face-to-face meeting requirement for individuals who want hospice services or home health care, the Bureau...
CMS implements pay-for-performance dialysis rule
Jan 05, 2011
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services last week issued a final rule that sets up a pay-for-performance program for dialysis facilities.
Healthcare reform can improve care and reduce costs for ‘dual-eligibles’
Dec 20, 2010
Implementation of the healthcare reform bill, or the Affordable Care Act, could improve the quality of care and reduce costs for “dual-eligibles,” according to findings of a new report from...
Help is on the way for Americans who suffer from multiple chronic conditions, according to a new report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.