CAHHS Volunteer Services
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Search Results for: "Communications"
CHA Board Approves 2019 Advocacy Priorities
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In its first meeting of the year on Jan. 31, the CHA Board of Trustees discussed and approved CHA’s 2019 advocacy priorities, which include leading efforts to improve coverage and access to health care; exploring new approaches to making health care more affordable; ensuring adequate state and federal funding for hospitals; reducing stigma and improving access to behavioral health care; strengthening the health care workforce and increasing funding for graduate medical education; and easing statutory and regulatory burdens for providers.
Measles Best Practices Webinar
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Measles has recently reemerged and risen to outbreak status in several states, including California. This year, there have been four outbreaks of measles linked to international travel in California, with 44 confirmed cases of measles, to date. The resurgence of this highly contagious disease has resulted in hospitals reevaluating their protocols ― both from the patient care and employee safety perspectives — as the disease can turn up in any county at any time.
CAHHS Volunteer Services
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NEWS UPDATES
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CDPH Updates
March 10 CDPH Call With Hospitals
On March 10, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) hosted a weekly call with health care providers. Highlights included:
Status updates
FAQs: Post-Acute Care
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What are the requirements for testing skilled-nursing facility (SNF) residents?
FFY 2019 Uncompensated Care Payments to Come From 2014, 2015 Worksheet S-10 Data
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In the federal fiscal year (FFY) 2019 inpatient prospective payment system final rule, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized its second year of a three-year transition to use Worksheet S-10 data for distributing Medicare disproportionate share hospital (DSH) uncompensated care payments. CMS will use two years (FFYs 2014 and 2015) of Worksheet S-10 cost report data and one year of proxy data to distribute the uncompensated care payments for FFY 2019.
In response to comments from CHA, CMS noted in the final rule that it planned audits of the data in fall 2018. In late August, CMS began audits of selected hospitals’ FFY 2015 cost reports. A number of hospitals in California have received this data request, and must respond by Sept. 28.
Because CMS has given the Medicare administrative contractors (MACs) only until the end of January to complete the audits, providers have a short timeline to complete this work with their MACs. Though CHA acknowledges that this presents a challenge from both technical and resource perspectives, CHA highly encourages hospitals that have received a request to respond as quickly as possible. Early communication with Noridian (or its subcontractor, Figliozzi & Company) is critical under this short timeline. A copy of the letter Noridian sent to select providers requesting documentation is attached; these letters are consistent across all MACs.
CMS Expands Site-Neutral Payment Policy in CY 2019 OPPS Final Rule
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Today, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued its final rule updating the outpatient prospective payment system (OPPS) for calendar year (CY) 2019, which also includes payment updates for ambulatory surgical centers. Despite strong opposition from CHA and the hospital field, CMS finalized an expansion of its site-neutral payment policies.
CHA Comments on CY 2019 Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule
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CHA has submitted the attached letter on the calendar year (CY) 2019 physician fee schedule (PFS) and quality payment program (QPP) proposed rule, providing comments on many of the provisions that are significant to hospitals and the physicians who provide care in hospitals. This includes CMS’ proposal to maintain a payment rate of 40 percent of outpatient prospective payment system (OPPS) rates for items and services furnished at certain off-campus hospital outpatient provider based clinics, as required by Section 603 of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015. CHA is disappointed that the agency continues to ignore the significant differences in regulatory requirements and responsibilities of the hospital outpatient department in providing health care services to Medicare beneficiaries, and urges the agency to refine its methodology for determining the rate. CHA believes a more robust analysis would support a payment rate of 65 percent of the OPPS rates.
CHA also comments on CMS’ proposal to reduce documentation requirements for evaluation and management (E/M) visits while collapsing payments for Level 2 through Level 5 E/M visits into a single blended payment rate. While supporting a number of the proposals that would reduce documentation burden, CHA urges the agency to withdraw its payment proposal and engage stakeholders to address the outdated coding system and improve payment accuracy in the future.
CHA Highlights Major Provisions of CY 2019 OPPS Proposed Rule
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Yesterday, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the outpatient prospective payment system (OPPS) proposed rule for calendar year (CY) 2019, which also includes payment updates for ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs).