Biden Signs Extension That Puts Off Medicare Funding Cuts
Under sequestration, the recent stimulus bill would have triggered budget reductions to Medicare as well as other social safety net programs. This bill pushes such cuts off until at least the end of the year. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services also announces hospital pricing transparency policies.
McKnight's Senior Living:
Medicare Sequestration Moratorium Officially Extended
President Biden Wednesday signed legislation extending the moratorium on Medicare sequestration. That occurred after the U.S. House of Representatives late Tuesday passed the Medicare Sequester Relief Act, which extended mandated 2% Medicare cuts to healthcare providers until the end of the year. The Partnership for Home Healthcare said the extension will give providers additional breathing room as they continue to battle fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic and adapt to the new Patient Driven Grouping Model (PDGM) payment system. (Estabrook, 4/15)
Axios:
CMS Says Hospitals Cannot Use Code To Hide Treatment Costs From Google
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has told hospitals they can't hide their prices from web searches, the Wall Street Journal reports. New federal rules require hospitals to post their pricing information online, but some large systems were using code that prevented that information from appearing in search results. (Fernandez, 4/15)
Modern Healthcare:
CMS Issues New Guidance To Enforce Price Transparency Rule
CMS issued new guidance on Github for "developers and consumers of the machine-readable files required through the Transparency in Coverage rule" after an investigation into hospital pricing websites revealed hundreds were using code to block information from showing up on search engines. In a statement to Modern Healthcare, CMS said they are "committed to ensuring consumers have the information they need to make fully informed decisions regarding their healthcare… and will enforce these rules to make sure Americans know what a hospital charges for health care." (Gellman, 4/14)
Also —
KPRC 2:
Richmond Health Care Worker Accused Of Copying, Pasting Doctor Signatures As Part Of Medicare Fraud Scheme
A Richmond health care worker is now in custody after authorities said he falsified multiple documents as part of a scheme to defraud Medicare. Paul Njoku, 60, was the owner and operator of Opnet Healthcare Services Inc. and did business with P&P Healthcare Services, according to legal records. Officials said Medicare had made several requests to Njoku and the company for them to send documentation proving multiple billed claims. (Sternitzky-Di Napoli, 4/13)
