Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
CMS: Improper Medicare Payments Drop $15B Since 2016
FierceHealthcare: CMS: Estimated Improper Medicare Payments Down $15B Since 2016
The number of improper payments made under Medicare fee-for-service declined by $15 billion since 2016, according to new figures from the Trump administration. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said that the data released late Monday is the result of a coordinated effort to identify the root cause of Medicare improper payments, which can include over or underpayments to providers in addition to fraud. The agency also updated data on Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program. (King, 11/17)
HealthLeaders Media: CMS: Medicare FFS Improper Payments Down $15B Since 2016
Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) improper payments have declined by $15 billion since 2016, according to a report released by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Monday. The Medicare FFS estimated improper payment rate fell to 6.27% in fiscal year (FY) 2020, down from 7.25% in FY 2019. Skilled nursing facility claims experienced a $1 billion reduction in improper payments last year as the result of a policy change and other regulatory efforts taken by CMS. (O'Brien, 11/17)
Also —
Modern Healthcare: CMS Will Sunset First Medicare Consumer Tools In December
The original Compare tools CMS first launched over 15 years ago will be removed from the Medicare website on December 1, replaced by a new version. CMS released in September a redesigned website that consolidates its eight online tools intended for Medicare beneficiaries and their caregivers to compare healthcare providers and settings. The renovated site was an effort by CMS to create a more streamlined user experience. The original Compare tools forced a user to use different interfaces on the Medicare website depending on the care setting in which they were interested. (Castellucci, 11/17)
News5 Cleveland: Survey Says Ohioans Find SNAP, Medicaid Benefits Difficult To Apply For And Access
When you need to get benefits like SNAP or Medicaid — time is usually of the essence. So is ease. But oftentimes, those processes can be full of complications. According to a new survey by Cleveland-based think tank The Center for Community Solutions, users say Ohio’s online benefits self-service portal isn’t meeting their needs. “When a website doesn’t work, then your only option is to call — then you get these really long wait times,” said consultant Rachel Cahill. (Bash, 11/16)
In nursing home news —
Modern Healthcare: Nursing Homes Lag Completing Government COVID-19 Training, CMS Says
Only 12.5% of the country's one million nursing home staff has completed government COVID-19 training, according to CMS. So far, 125,506 people at 7,313 nursing homes have taken the training, which was announced Aug. 25, CMS said Tuesday. There are 1,092 nursing homes at which 50% or more of staff have completed the training. The agency made the names of those nursing homes publicly available. (Christ, 11/17)
Modern Healthcare: Nursing Home COVID-19 Cases Surge In Midwest Ahead Of Thanksgiving
Weekly COVID-19 cases in nursing homes have eclipsed earlier pandemic peaks as cases across the U.S. climb, according to a new report by the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living, which represents nursing homes and assisted living communities. Weekly new cases in the U.S. rose 140% to 572,613,527 in the U.S. the week of Nov. 1 and continue climbing by more than 100,000 cases per day, according to Johns Hopkins University and CMS data. In nursing homes, there has been a 73% increase from mid-September when cases in nursing homes first started to rise again after falling since late July. (Christ, 11/17)
