|
|
|
 CMS Reverses Reimbursement Cuts to Nuclear Imaging
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a technical correction to the 2010 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule final rule on May 11, 2010, which specified significant increases in reimbursement regarding several nuclear imaging codes for myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI), cardiac computed tomography (CT), and cardiac catheterization.
(Read more...)
|
|
U.S. Investigates Health Network for Possible Antitrust Violations
Partners Healthcare System Inc. (Partners) and three large health insurers doing business in Eastern Massachusetts, have until May 19, 2010 to respond to inquiries by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) regarding potential anticompetitive behavior, including purported violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act, which prohibits companies from using market power to manipulate prices for goods or services. A report released in March 2010 by the Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General showed that some Partners affiliated hospitals were paid twice as much as the lowest-paid hospitals in the state for providing the same services.
(Read more...)
|
|
Outpatient Surgeries Show Dramatic Increase
The number of surgical procedures performed on an outpatient basis has grown from 16% in 1980 to 57.7% in 2007, according to a statistical brief published by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. This growth in outpatient surgery has become more feasible in recent years, driven by changes in payment arrangements and advances in medical technology.
(Read more...)
| |
Physicians Face Expiration of Board Certification
Many physicians are facing the requirement to take board re-certification exams for the first time ever in the U.S. The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) Maintenance of Certification� (MOC) program will evaluate re-certifying physicians according to six core competencies.
(Read more...)
|
|
