House Stops Physician Payment Cut

The American Academy of Family Physicians predicts there will be 40,000 fewer family care physicians in 10 years, and 160,000 fewer by 2025. One proposed solution to the growing shortage is to increase residency positions for family doctors at teaching hospitals.
To make matters worse, doctors face a 21 percent cut in Medicare payments in 2010. [...]

House Delays Physician Payment Cut

The American Academy of Family Physicians predicts there will be 40,000 fewer family care physicians in 10 years, and 160,000 fewer by 2025. One proposed solution to the growing shortage is to increase residency positions for family doctors at teaching hospitals.
To make matters worse, doctors face a 21 percent cut in Medicare payments in 2010. [...]

The Fight Against Overcriminalization

I wrote about this book and the war on pain management physicians here. Now, the New York Times is writing about overcriminalization in general. Given the risks of accusations of Medicare/Medicaid and other business fraud by ambitious prosecutors, this is a topic with which you all should be concerned. It’s no longer [...]

Texas Register Updates: Texas Medical Board Changes

The following information was obtained from the November 20 issue of the Texas Register:
Emergency Rules
The Texas Medical Board adopted a new §180.4, concerning Operation of Program, which establishes the requirements for eligibility, referrals, drug-testing, and fees for the Physician Health Program. The board contemporaneously proposes a permanent new §180.4. See the relevant section of the [...]

Information Letter and Alert: No Auto Increase for COLA, Q&A

DADS released an information letter and a news alert.
Medicaid NFs and ICFs/MR:
For 2010, there will be no automatic increase for COLA for Medicaid consumers with SSI, because there was no increase in the CPI-W from the third quarter of 2008 to the third quarter of 2009. (Letter)
News alert:
During its stakeholder meeting for [...]

Information Letter and Alert: No Auto Increase for COLA, Q&A

DADS released an information letter and a news alert.
Medicaid NFs and ICFs/MR:
For 2010, there will be no automatic increase for COLA for Medicaid consumers with SSI, because there was no increase in the CPI-W from the third quarter of 2008 to the third quarter of 2009. (Letter)
News alert:
During its stakeholder meeting for Case Management and [...]

CMS: Physicians Receive $92 Million for Initiative

CMS announced incentive payments of over $92 million to physicians and other eligible professions for reporting quality-related data to Medicare under the 2008 Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI). (Source)
CMS developed a program to give doctors an incentive for raising quality of care and for reporting to CMS. In 2007, physicians reported for a six-month period. [...]

CDS Option in CLASS Expanded

DADS announced that the CDS option is now available in CLASS for nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech/hearing/language therapy.
DADS will continue to offer habitation and respite care under the CDS option. You may choose whether to manage some or all of these services yourself or allow your CLASS Direct Services Agency to manage [...]

CMS: Health Care Reform Will Cost $289 Billion

According to a new report by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the health care reform bill would cost $289 billion over the next 10 years. Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives asked CMS to prepare the report.
To pay for the health care system overhaul, Medicare would be reduced by over $500 [...]

Information Letters: CBA, ICM, PC 3, CWP, NFs, and Others

DADS released four information letters:
CBA, ICM, and PC 3 providers: The new payment rate for these providers is $69.82, effective September 1, 2009. See other rates at this link. (Letter)
CWP providers: Rates for all CWP services except 24-Hour Residential Habilitation are effective September 1, 2009. Rates for CWP 24-Hour Residential Habilitation are effective October 1, [...]

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