CMS expands preventive service coverage
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has expanded coverage for preventive services such as diabetes screening. Beginning Jan. 1, 2007, CMS is increasing payments for services that affect people with diabetes. Payments to physicians for some of the most frequently billed face-to-face doctor/patient services has increased and access for rural and underserved areas also has been enhanced. Preventive services, such as abdominal aortic aneurysm screening, have been added to the initial Medicare exam and colorectal screening procedures have been excluded from the Part B deductible. For more information on preventive tests covered by CMS, go to http://www.cms.hhs.gov/partnerships/downloads/diabetesupdate.pdf
Joint Commission posts potential NPSGs
The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations has posted potential 2008 National Patient Safety Goals (NPSG) requirements and implementation expectations for field review by home care agencies.
Potential NPSGs considered for home care include:
- Addition of new requirements related to anticoagulation therapy as part of the goal to improve medication safety.
- Addition of a new goal to prevent patient harm associated with health worker fatigue.
- Addition of a new goal to prevent catheter and tubing misconnections.
The potential goals will be posted through Jan. 26, 2007. Go to www.jointcommission.org/Standards/FieldReviews/ to see the potential goals and the field review form.
PMD fee schedule posted
The American Association for Homecare in Alexandria, VA, has posted the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' fee schedule for power mobility devices. The schedule can be found at www.aahomecare.org, under "Advocacy Updates."
HHABN tools and resources available
Answers to questions about the revised Home Health Advance Beneficiary Notice have been updated on the National Association of Home Care (NAHC) web site. The updates were posted after clarification from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on some key questions.
Also available on the NAHC web site are an HHABN decision tree and an HHABN option box decision tree. To find these resources, go to www.nahc.org, select "Advocacy" and then choose "Regulatory." The FAQs and the decision tree tools are located under "Breaking News."
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has expanded coverage for preventive services such as diabetes screening. Beginning Jan. 1, 2007, CMS is increasing payments for services that affect people with diabetes.You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
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