A Union Aims at Pittsburgh’s Biggest Employer
For decades, United States Steel was this city’s dominant employer, but now the biggest employer is the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, with its 22 hospitals and 62,000 workers. As …
Sweeping Changes to Medicare Payment for Clinical Laboratory Services
On March 31, 2014, the Senate gave final approval to the Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014 (the Act), which includes significant reforms to the way Medicare pays for …
HME News: Capped-rental rule takes effect
Although providers hoped to hear “April Fools,” the rule transitioning certain complex rehab items to capped-rental status went into effect Tuesday as planned. “This change in regulation is so ridiculous, …
An Overlooked Provision of H.R. 4302
While everyone is talking about Sec. 212 of the Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014 (H.R. 4302), which would delay the compliance date of ICD-10 for another year, there …
New app upgrades doctor-to-patient communication
Talking to your physician over the phone may save you a trip to the doctor’s office, but it could also lead to critical communication errors. Dr. Michael Nusbaum, a New …
AAHomecare PR Spurs CMS to Action
Back in January, AAHomecare issued a press release about Leonce Pierre-Lewis, a patient in New Jersey who was having trouble getting a replacement wheelchair from Medicare. This week, the Association …
CMS May be Sued over Face-to-Face Requirements
The National Association for Homecare (NAHC) is laying the groundwork for a possible lawsuit against CMS’ implementation of the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) home health face-to-face requirements. NAHC says that …
Hospital mergers raise price concerns
Hospital administrators in Connecticut who have been involved in the unprecedented streak of mergers and consolidations often tout the financial benefits and efficiencies of such moves. But as the number …