Medicare Update

CMS to Hold Home Health, Hospice & DME Open Door Forum

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will hold the next Home Health, Hospice & DME Open Door Forum at 2:00 p.m. (EDT) on May 13, 2008.  There are 2 ways to participate in the Open Door Forum.   

To participate by telephone, one must dial 1-800-837-1935 and reference conference ID 41864430.  To participate in person, RSVP and security clearance is required.  Further, one must RSVP by 2:00 p.m. (EDT) on May 9, 2008 to HOMEHEALTH_HOSPICE_DMEODF-L@cms.hhs.gov, and include your name, organization, phone number, and the words “Home Health” in the subject line.  The Open Door Forum will take place at the Hubert H. Humphrey Building, 200 Independence Avenue S.W., Washington, D.C. 

Starting 2 hours after the Open Door Forum, CMS will also make an audio recording available.  To access the audio recording, one must dial 1-800-642-1687 and enter the conference ID.  The recording will expire after 3 business days.

CMS Proposes 2009 Medicare Hospice Wage Index Changes

On April 28, 2008, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) posted a display copy of a Proposed Rule that would update and revise the Medicare hospice wage index for fiscal year (FY) 2009. 

According to the Proposed Rule, CMS proposes to phase-out the Medicare hospice budget neutrality adjustment factor (BNAF) over 3 years, reducing it by 25 percent in FY 2009, by 75 percent for FY 2010, and eliminating it completely for FY 2011.  However, CMS indicates that it may determine that a different percentage reduction in the BNAF, or a different phase-out time frame, would be more appropriate. Nevertheless, CMS projects that the elimination of this adjustment will save the Medicare program approximately $2.29 billion over 5 years.

In the Proposed Rule, CMS also seeks to clarify 2 wage index issues pertaining to the definition of rural and urban areas and to multi-campus hospital facilities. The Proposed Rule is scheduled to appear in the Federal Register on May 1, 2008.  CMS reports that a final rule will be published in August 2008. For additional information, CMS has published a Fact Sheet on the proposed changes.

CMS to Host Home Health, Hospice & DME Open Door Forum

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will hold the next Home Health, Hospice & DME Open Door Forum at 2:00 p.m. (EDT) on April 2, 2008.  There are 2 ways to participate in the Open Door Forum.   

To participate by telephone, one must dial 1-800-837-1935 and reference conference ID 37587040.  To participate in person, one must RSVP by 2:00 p.m. (EDT) on March 31, 2008 to HOMEHEALTH_HOSPICE_DMEODF-L@cms.hhs.gov, and include your name, organization, phone number, and the words “Home Health” in the subject line.  The Open Door Forum will take place at the Hubert H. Humphrey Building, 200 Independence Avenue S.W., Washington, D.C. 

Starting 2 hours after the Open Door Forum, CMS will also make an audio recording available.  To access the audio recording, one must dial 1-800-642-1687 and enter the conference ID.  The recording will expire after 3 business days.

CMS to Host Home Health, Hospice & DME Open Door Forum

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will hold the next Home Health, Hospice & DME Open Door Forum at 2:00 p.m. (EST) on January 9, 2008.  There are 2 ways to participate in the Open Door Forum.   

To participate by telephone, one must dial 1-800-837-1935 and reference conference ID 18789483.  To participate in person, one must RSVP by 2:00 p.m. (EST) on January 7, 2008 to HOMEHEALTH_HOSPICE_DMEODF-L@cms.hhs.gov, and include your name, organization or representation, phone number, and the words “Home Health” in the subject line.  The Open Door Forum will take place at the Hubert H. Humphrey Building, 200 Independence Avenue S.W., Washington, D.C. CMS asks that attendees arrive no later than 1:30 p.m. (EST).   

Starting 2 hours after the Open Door Forum, CMS will also make an audio recording available.  To access the audio recording, one must dial 1-800-642-1687 and enter the conference ID.  The recording will expire after 3 business days.

MedPAC Releases Updated Medicare Basics Documents

On October 5, 2007, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) released updated documents for its Medicare Basics and Medicare Payment Basics series.  The documents include a document entitled Medicare Benefit Design and the following documents which provide an overview of individual Medicare payment systems:

• Oxygen and Oxygen Equipment 
• Skilled Nursing Facilities
• Physician Services
• Psychiatric Hospital Services
• Rehabilitation Facilities
• Medicare Part D
• Outpatient Therapy Services
• Medicare Advantage Program
• Outpatient Dialysis Services
• Outpatient Hospital Services
• Home Health Care Services
• Hospice Services
• Hospital Acute Inpatient Services
• Long-Term Care Hospitals
• Clinical Laboratory Services
• Critical Access Hospitals
• Durable Medical Equipment
• Ambulatory Surgical Centers

MedPAC is an independent federal body established by the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 to advise Congress on issues affecting the Medicare program.

CMS Releases Final Hospice Wage Index Rule for FY2008

On August 31, 2007, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a display copy of the Final Rule setting forth the Medicare hospice wage index for fiscal year 2008.  In the Final Rule, CMS also revises the methodology for updating the wage index for rural areas without hospital wage data, and clarifies certain existing Medicare hospice regulations and policies.

CMS Announces Next Home Health, Hospice & DME Open Door Forum

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently announced that it will hold the next Home Health, Hospice & DME Open Door Forum on August 29, 2007 at 2:00 p.m. (EDT).  To participate in the Open Door Forum by telephone, one must dial 1-800-837-1935 and reference conference ID 3650599.  Beginning 2 hours after the Open Door Forum, an audio recording of the Open Door Forum will be available.  To access the audio recording, one must dial 1-800-642-1687 and reference the conference ID.  The audio recording will be available for 3 business days.

CMS to Host Home Health, Hospice & DME Open Door Forum

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will hold the next Home Health, Hospice & DME Open Door Forum (Forum) at 2:00 p.m. (EDT) on July 18, 2007.  To participate in the Forum by telephone, one must dial 1-800-837-1935 and reference conference ID 2467910.  Beginning 2 hours after the Forum, a recording of the Forum may be accessed by dialing 1-800-642-1687 and entering the conference ID.  The recording will expire after 3 business days.

CMS to Publish National Plan and Provider Enumeration System Data Dissemination Notice

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released a display copy of a Notice setting forth the data that will be available from the National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES).  The Notice will be published in the Federal Register on May 30, 2007. 

In the Notice, CMS describes the policy by which CMS will make certain NPPES health care provider data available to covered entities under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) and others. 

According to the Notice, NPPES health care provider data, which is required to be disclosed under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), will be made publicly available 30 days after the Notice appears on the Federal Register (i.e., June 28, 2007).  The FOIA disclosable data will be made available in an initial file that may be downloaded from the internet (with downloadable monthly updates) and in a query only database.  In the Notice, CMS addresses the NPPES health care provider data that is required to be disclosed under FOIA.

The Notice also encourages providers, who have been assigned national provider identifiers (NPI), to review their NPPES data and make any necessary changes prior to the end of the 30 day period.  In fact, CMS points out that providers, who are covered entities under HIPAA, are required to update their NPPES data within 30 days of any change.  In the Notice, CMS also indicates that providers who wish to delete any NPPES data, which was not required to obtain a NPI, may do so prior to the end of the 30 day period.

CMS to Host Home Health, Hospice and DME Open Door Forum

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will hold the next Home Health, Hospice & DME Open Door Forum (Forum) at 2:00 p.m. (EDT) on May 23, 2007.

To participate in the Forum, one must dial 1-800-837-1935 and reference conference ID 4775216. During the Forum, CMS will discuss the Proposed Rule, which would make refinements to the Medicare home health prospective payment system for calendar year 2008.  The Proposed Rule was published in the Federal Register on May 4, 2007.

Because CMS is in the early stages of the rule making process, CMS will not provide any final policy information during the Forum.  Further, CMS reports that the Forum will not replace the public comment process discussed in the Proposed Rule.   

Beginning 2 hours after the Forum ends, CMS will also make an audio recording of the Forum available.  The recording will be available for 3 business days, and may be accessed by calling 1-800-642-1687 and entering the conference ID.