Last week, we discussed the “Site-Neutral Rule,” which would reduce Evaluation and Management charges for off-campus outpatient programs, including wound care and hyperbaric medicine centers. This week, 38 Hospitals sued Health and Human Services (HHS), challenging the rule. The lawsuit alleges that HHS Secretary Alex Azar exceeded his authority when this rule was implemented January 1, 2019.
Each year, CMS releases new regulations and policy changes. Our financial team offers three things all outpatient hospital wound care teams need to know.
In the final rule released in 2018 for 2019, CMS decided to reduce the E&M Level reimbursement for all off-campus departments of the hospital, including exempted centers. This reduction only affects CPT code G0463. If you have an off-campus provider-based department of the hospital, you will now be reimbursed 70% of the OPPS rate for 2019 with further reduction down to 40% in 2020.
The OIG released the results of a MAC audit report on Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) services. Based on the sample charts, they estimated there were over $39 million in HBOT overpayments for the sample year alone in this jurisdiction.
A teacher, frequent lecturer, and published author, Dr. Nancy Collins is passionate about educating health care professionals and speaks at wound care conferences throughout the year.
One of the most important members of the wound care team is the Program Director (PD), the person who leads day-to-day operations and is responsible for the overall success of a wound center program. In this video, PD Svetlana Carovski shares her insights.
Sometimes complexities arise when running a wound care and hyperbaric medicine program because of knowledge or resource deficits. Wound Care Advantage offers a 20 Point Onsite Assessment and offers a recommended roadmap for implementing positive changes.
