CMS Issues Guidance on Omnibus COVID-19 Vaccination Rules On December 28, 2022, CMS issued an interim rule on COVID-19 vaccination requirements for hospitals. The emergency regulation requires vaccinations for eligible staff at health care facilities participating in the Medicare and Medicaid programs. The implementation and enforcement of this regulation was enjoined in 25 states when the...
Surgical Societies Issue Statement Against Spine Surgery by Non-Surgeons Eight spine organizations collaborated on a position statement on the performance of arthrodesis on the spine by non-surgical providers. The organizations were led by ISASS and included the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS), the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons, the Congress of Neurological...
Medicare Phase IV Provider Relief Funds Released On December 16, 2021, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), announced the distribution of approximately $9 billion in Provider Relief Fund (PRF) Phase 4 payments to health care providers who have experienced revenue losses and expenses related...
New CPT Codes for Reporting Spine Surgical Procedures Multiple new Category I CPT codes for reporting spine surgical procedures go into effect on January 1, 2022. New CPT codes 63052 and 63053 describe decompression when done with PLIF or TLIF procedures (22630/32 and 22634/36). 63052 describes the first level decompression and 63053 describes additional levels...