TX Register Updates: Feb. 15 Hearing, Emergency Rules

The following information was obtained from the January 20 issue of the Texas Register. Public Notices HHSC will hold a public hearing on February 15, 2012, at 1:30 p.m., to receive comment on proposed Medicaid payment rates for Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies; payment rates for annual Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System; and [...]

TX Register Updates: Military Spouses, Denying Licenses

The following information appeared in the January 13 issue of the Texas Register. Public Notices HHSC adopted a new per diem payment rate for the Tyler state-owned veterans nursing facility: $237.00. HHSC intends to submit to CMS a request to amend the Youth Empowerment Services waiver to expand the geographical area of the waiver to [...]

TX Register Updates: Medical and Nursing Board Changes

The following information was obtained from the January 6 issue of the Texas Register: Public Hearing HHSC will hold a public hearing on January 18, 2012, at 9 a.m. to receive comment on proposed payment rates for the Medicaid Biennial Calendar Fee Review – Therapy Services provided by CORF/ORF. The hearing will be held in [...]

Medicaid Cuts in Texas

If you treat a patient who receives both Medicare and Medicaid, your reimbursement will be limited. Earlier this year, lawmakers eliminated the Medicaid co-pay to save money in the state budget. As a result, providers might turn away more Medicaid and Medicare patients. An excerpt from the Dallas Morning News: “Doctors have to make the [...]

Former Houston Physician Sentenced to Federal Prison for Mail Fraud Related to Private Insurance Billing

On November 14, 2011, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas announced that a physician was sentenced for fraud regarding private insurance, Medicare and Medicaid. Armando Chavez, a former physician and owner of the Chavez Medical Group in East Houston, was sentenced to 60 months for conspiracy and 70 months for each of three mail fraud charges, [...]

TX Register: Medical Board Updates

The following information was obtained from the December 16 issue of the Texas Register. Public Notice HHSC intends to submit an amendment to the Texas State Plan for Medical Assistance to update the current plan with recent fee schedule updates, including fees for new services and modified fees for existing services. See the Texas Register [...]

TX Register Updates: Texas Medical Board Changes

The following information was obtained from the December 9 issue of the Texas Register. Public Notice HHSC announced the renewal of a contract with Software Contract Solutions, Inc. to provide a resource for investigating all facets of information technology software issues that impact price, cost savings measures, risk exposure, and overall total cost of ownership. [...]

Medicare/Medicaid News

CMS expands competitive bidding in Medicare. “The first phase of the program was successfully implemented for nine product categories in nine areas of the country on Jan. 1, 2011.   To date, CMS monitoring data have shown a successful implementation with no changes in beneficiary health status.  Today, CMS released the detailed schedule for Round [...]

TX Register Updates: Nursing, Medical Board Changes

The following information was obtained from the November 25 issue of the Texas Register: Public Notices HHSC intends to submit to CMS a request to amend the Non-Emergency Medical Transportation waiver program, which would add Colorado, Erath, Palo Pinto, and Somerville counties to the waiver to realign the counties in the full-risk broker model areas [...]

Medicare: Physicians, Home Health Cuts

Unless Congress decides otherwise by January 1, physicians will face a 27.4 percent cut in Medicare reimbursement fees. From the AP: No one expects lawmakers to allow the axe to fall, but 48 million beneficiaries and their doctors are looking on nervously. Temporary reprieves have created a recurring problem that gets harder and harder to [...]

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