The Kaiser Network reports Medicare is spending more on preventive services and screenings, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicare Services (CMS). This isn’t news, but it’s interesting to note that fewer than 10 percent of beneficiaries receive preventive screenings and immunizations recommended by health care professionals.
In other Medicare news, CMS has issued a final rule that prohibit doctors from conflict-of-interest referrals. They can longer refer patients for services in which they or members of their immediate family have a financial interest. For more information, see the news release.
Additionally, CMS recently proposed a rule to revise requirements that ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs) must meet if billing Medicare for services to beneficiaries. The change would reflect “contemporary standards of practice in the ASC community, as well as recommendations from the HHS Inspector General.†See the news release for more information.
