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.
Federal health care reform continues to spur consolidation and integration among hospitals in the U.S. One example is the acquisition of 36-bed Cumberland River Hospital in Celina, Tennessee, by 247-bed Cookeville Regional Medical Center in Cookeville, Tennessee