Medicare released a proposed rule in the Federal Register , “Medicare Program; Part B Inpatient Billing in Hospitals,” in March 2013. That proposed rule, in combination with the ruling for Part A to B denial rebilling—which was effective immediately on publication—is intended to get a handle on a huge area of heartburn for hospitals.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the 2014 IPPS Proposed Rule on April 26, 2013, proposing several payment revisions as a result of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA).
The long-term care (LTC) mergers and acquisitions (M&A) market had an outstanding year in 2012, generating 189 deals worth $9.2 billion. The high transaction volume for the year makes 2012 the most active year in LTC M&A since the late 1990s, with approximately 60 percent more transactions than the annual average over the previous four years.
Although the hospital industry has weathered difficult conditions in the past, widespread challenges continue to push change within the sector. Widely reported regulatory changes and the need to obtain operational and financial scale and scope in the health care industry have combined with other auxiliary issues to compound the need for further change within the sector
On November 1, 2012, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the final 2013 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) and its updated conversion factor.
Hospitals and health systems are well served by proactive strategic planning and processes with respect to physician alignment, both for employed and independent physicians. This article points out some common problems and solutions to becoming a more purposeful organization with respect to physician alignment. Problem Many hospitals are reactive in determining where resources are best spent around physician alignment. Often, a physician group will approach a hospital looking to be acquired or to enter into a contractual arrangement, such as an on-call deal, and the hospital will immediately begin working with the group to reach an understanding or accommodation. This reactive approach can waste time and resources on low-impact results or low-priority relationships. Solution Hospitals need to develop a clear strategy around physician alignment and implement a unified process around affiliation activity
2011 Long-Term Care M&A Activity Finishes Strong The long-term care (LTC) merger & acquisition (M&A) market saw its best year in 2011 since peaking in 2006 and 2007 in terms of publicly announced transactions and dollar volume. Results are still filtering in, but with a final year-end projection of 150 transactions, 2011 is slated to be the most active year in LTC M&A since the late 1990s. The first three quarters of the year alone exceeded transaction counts for full years 2008 through 2010 with 118 deals.