RACs and MACs Hammer Away

Medicare RACs and MACs Plan to Hammer Away at Unnecessary Hospital Admissions

AIS’s Health Business Daily, January 6, 2011

RACs and MACs will coordinate “to leverage their resources” in the hunt for overpayments, a top CMS program-integrity official tells AIS.  The one-two punch of MAC prepayment reviews and RAC postpayment audits is directed at inpatient errors, says George Mills, director of the Provider Compliance Group in CMS’s Office of Financial Management….. Read Full Story

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Survey: Employers anticipate higher costs due to health reform

Healthcare Finance NewsDay, January 4, 2011

According to a new survey, employers believe the new healthcare law will increase their benefit costs, and they say changes are needed to improve quality, reduce expenses and reward health system performance.

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Website launched to help Medicare patients find medical equipment

Healthcare Finance NewsDay, January 4, 2011

The MED Group has launched a new website aimed at answering Medicare beneficiaries’ questions and offering sources for durable medical equipment under the new competitive bidding rules that took effect on January 1.

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AMGA, Press Ganey partner on ACO collaborative

Healthcare Finance NewsDay, January 5, 2011

As part of its Accountable Care Organization collaborative, the American Medical Group Association is partnering with South Bend, Ind.-based Press Ganey Associates to measure patients’ experiences across the continuum of care.

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Government News of the Week

AISHealth.com, January 10, 2011

The New York State Office of Medical Inspector General released its long-awaited work plan for 2011, which is modeled after OIG’s annual work plan.  As Medicaid program integrity grows in importance at the federal and state levels, more and more states may start publishing similar roadmaps…Visit http://www.aishealth.com/GNOW/011011.html#gnoweight for more information.