The Medicare Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) program's latest scope of work, which gets underway this month, has some notable results to follow. During the three-year program period that just ended, hospital readmissions among Medicare beneficiaries declined by 13% in QIO...
State medical boards across the country have drafted a model law that would make it much easier for physicians licensed in one state to treat patients in other states, whether in person, by videoconference, or online. The draft legislation—in the form of an interstate compact, a legally...
Among the proposed changes included in the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) for calendar year 2015, CMS has included provisions that would eliminate an exemption for reporting certain continuing medical education (CME) payments; and would expand the services Medicare beneficiaries can...
A lawsuit filed in Sacramento. California, alleges physicians used bogus hardware in spinal surgeries and took kickbacks from a Corona del Mar, California, hospital executive, while middlemen and hospitals profited by inflating the cost of the devices.
The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) invites the public’s input on proposed standards for a new program to evaluate ambulatory care clinics that provide patient-centered care and work to reduce fragmentation by forming virtual neighborhoods with medical homes. The public...
The AMA House of Delegates last week approved a set of principles to ensure appropriate coverage of and payment for telemedicine services. The principles set out a number of conditions for coverage and payment, including abiding by state licensure laws and following evidence-based practice...
