CMS Sees Sharp Drop-Off In Number Of Doctors Opting Out Of Medicare
One theory for the decrease is that MACRA ended the need for providers to renew opt-out affidavits every two years; now opt-outs can be indefinite, and providers must ask to rejoin the program. Meanwhile, health providers are excited about hints that Medicare may change its policy on medical consultations that start over the phone.
Modern Healthcare:
Fewer Doctors Are Opting Out Of Medicare
The CMS saw a sharp decrease in the number of providers opting out of Medicare in 2017, after several years where thousands indicated that they did not want to participate in the program. Physicians and practitioners who do not wish to enroll in the Medicare program may file an "opt-out" affidavit that will prevent the provider and beneficiaries seeing them from submitting bills to the CMS. For years, the CMS had few providers opting out of Medicare, with the number first hitting triple digits in 2010, with 130. But those numbers jumped to over 1,600 opt-out requests going into effect in 2013, more than doubling to over 3,500 in 2015, and spiking at 7,400 in 2016. Opt-outs dropped to just 3,732 in 2017, according to data released by the CMS Monday. (Dickson, 1/30)
Reuters:
U.S. Telehealth Industry Eyes Medicare For Its Next Big Check
After years of lobbying in Washington, U.S. telehealth providers have the first hints that the dam could break on public funding for an industry they say could save taxpayers billions. Four bills that could be signed into law over the next year carry the solutions to barriers that have prevented the United States' huge over-65 health program Medicare from reimbursing doctors' and medical visits, which often start over the phone. (Mathias, 1/30)
In other Medicare news —
The New York Times:
Complaint Accuses Contractor Of Underpayment At Medicare Call Centers
A federal contractor systematically underpaid workers in call centers that serve beneficiaries of Medicare and the Affordable Care Act, and could owe those employees as much as $100 million in back wages, a labor union said in a complaint filed on Friday with the Labor Department. The union, the Communications Workers of America, along with 1,600 workers, has accused the contractor, General Dynamics Information Technology, of essentially misclassifying workers to pay them lower wages. (Tankersley, 1/30)
Modern Healthcare:
New Medicare ID Cards Come To Mid-Atlantic States First
The CMS has revealed which states will be the first in the nation to receive new Medicare identification cards that don't contain Social Security numbers. Medicare beneficiaries in Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia are among the states that will be first to get the cards starting in April. (Dickson, 1/29)
