CMS Announces Additional COVID-19 Provider Relief On March 28, 2020, CMS expanded the existing COVID-19 Accelerated and Advance Payments (CAAP) Program to a broader group of providers. Accelerated and advance payments are payments intended to provide necessary funds to Part A providers and Part B suppliers, respectively, when there is a disruption in claims submission...
AMA Releases Report on Physician Service Expenditures in 2020 In March 2021, The American Medical Association (AMA) released a new report “Changes in Medicare Physician Spending During the COVID-19 Pandemic,” which analyzed Medicare claims data exclusive to physician services. The study found that in April 2020, spending dropped to 57% below expected pre-pandemic levels. Medicare...
ISASS and Other Stakeholders Urge Congress to Extend Physician Payment Relief in 2021 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule ISASS joined a sign-on letter to congressional leadership advocating that Congress pass legislation to extend the current moratorium on the 2% Medicare payment sequester beyond the current March 31, 2021, expiration date. The letter strongly urges...
Kaiser Health News Article Raises Questions About New Medicare Site of Service Policy In an article published March 23, 2021, Kaiser Health News (KHN) questioned the impact of the new CMS policy allowing numerous surgical procedures to be performed in outpatient locations or ambulatory surgical centers. For 2021, CMS allowed more than 200 procedures, including...