As if the deep price cuts inflicted by PAMA weren't infuriating enough, now the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) is claiming that labs may be getting overpaid. In a report issued late … [Read more...]
PAMA
Medicare Reimbursement: ACLA Court Appeal Maintains 2-Front War for PAMA Relief
December 14, 2018
It's official. The ACLA is appealing the September federal court decision to dismiss its PAMA lawsuit (ACLA v. Azar). Here's a quick rundown of the three things you need to know. 1. The Legal … [Read more...]
CMS
Medicare Appeals: CMS Tries to Speed the Process & Unjam the Backlog
November 26, 2018
On Oct. 2, CMS proposed revisions to rules for appealing adverse Medicare claim determinations (Proposed Rules). The goal is to speed the process that currently takes three to four years and loosen … [Read more...]
FALSE CLAIMS
Florida Doctor Jailed 5 Months for Lying to a Medicare Auditor
November 12, 2018
Lying to a Medicare auditor or otherwise obstructing a Medicare audit is a crime that can get you jailed. A 73-year-old endocrinologist specializing in diabetes management just learned that lesson the … [Read more...]
FEE SCHEDULES
Medicare Reimbursement: Labs Propose Solutions to PAMA Part B Pricing Problem
October 15, 2018
CMS recently issued its annual proposed rule on 2019 Medicare Part B reimbursement. For many labs, the number one concern is the proposed extension of the controversial PAMA "market pricing" scheme to … [Read more...]
CMS
Reimbursement Trends: OIG Report Shows Slight Uptick in 2017 Medicare Part B Lab Payments
October 10, 2018
On Jan. 1, 2018, the new Medicare Part B PAMA Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule (CLFS) in which lab test reimbursements are based on a single national fee lab schedule for lab tests rather than 57 … [Read more...]
STARK LAW
Stark Relief: Comments Urge Change but Don’t Expect Anything Too Dramatic
October 9, 2018
After decades of resistance, CMS is giving serious indications of its willingness to entertain changes to relieve the "undue regulatory impact and burden" imposed by the Stark Law. Back in June, CMS … [Read more...]
STARK LAW
CMS Mulls Stark Law Relief: This Time It May Be for Real
July 16, 2018
After decades of complaining about the Stark Law, the lab industry may now have an actual opportunity to secure meaningful relief. On June 20, CMS issued a Request for Information (RFI) seeking input … [Read more...]
MACRA REQUIREMENT
How to Adjust to the April 2018 Medicare Beneficiary Cards
July 9, 2018
By Sean McSweeney bio In a press release on May 30, 2017, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) commented regarding their fraud prevention initiative program and their … [Read more...]
FEE SCHEDULES
PAMA Reimbursement: CMS Explains How to Get ADLT Status for New Lab Tests
June 11, 2018
Although the 2018 market-based Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule (CLFS) is officially in effect, implementation of the new PAMA Part B payment rules for lab tests remains a work in progress. On March … [Read more...]
