Medicare Hospital Reimbursement Set for 2.5% Increase in 2022
The recently finalized inpatient prospective payment system rule is set to increase hospital reimbursement by 2.5 percent.
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Medicare’s Inpatient Payments Will Increase 2.5% in 2022
CMS has finalized an approximate $2.3 billion increase in hospital payments next year, including a 2.5 percent bump for hospital reimbursement rates under Medicare’s Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS).
Just released, the IPPS final rule for fiscal year (FY) 2022 will increase hospital reimbursement rates starting October 1, 2021, alongside payments to hospitals diagnosing and treat COVID-19.
The final rule authorizes additional payments for diagnostics and therapies for COVID-19 during the public health emergency (PHE), which is expected to last through this year. CMS stated that the additional payments are meant to “mitigate potential financial disincentives for hospitals to provide new COVID-19 treatments and to minimize any potential payment disruption immediately following the end of the PHE.” READ MORE
DoJ to Partake in Kaiser Permanente Medicare Advantage Fraud Suits
The Department of Justice (DOJ) will intervene in the case of six whistleblower lawsuits against Kaiser Permanente regarding Medicare Advantage diagnosis codes and alleged Medicare fraud.
The lawsuits argued that, months or more than a year after patients’ encounters took place, Kaiser Permanente pushed providers to submit information that would demand a risk adjustment. The information may include conditions that the patients did not have or that providers did not examine during the encounters.
“Medicare’s managed care program relies on the accuracy of information submitted by health care providers and plans to ensure that patients receive the appropriate level of care, and that plans receive the appropriate compensation,” said Sarah E. Harrington, deputy assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. READ MORE
FDA Approves Biosimilar Insulin Product Semglee for Diabetes
FDA recently approved Mylan’s interchangeable biosimilar insulin product, Semglee, to improve glycemic control in adults and pediatric patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus and in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Semglee is both biosimilar to and interchangeable with its reference product, Lantus, a long-acting insulin analog. Semglee is the first interchangeable biosimilar product approved in the US for diabetes treatment.
“This is a momentous day for people who rely daily on insulin for treatment of diabetes, as biosimilar and interchangeable biosimilar products have the potential to greatly reduce healthcare costs,” Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock, MD, said in the announcement. READ MORE
Patient Engagement and White Coats: What’s the Connection?
The latest peer-reviewed survey data shows your patient-provider relationships might be stronger when you wear a white coat. The survey showed patients perceive white coats as more professional than casual wear.
The finding, published in JAMA Network Open, comes as healthcare professionals work to establish good interpersonal relationships and rapport with patients, while also gaining the trust and confidence of their patients. Although more casual wear, like fleeces or softshell jackets, in theory could temper the power hierarchy inherent during a medical encounter, the study found that patients want their doctors to look the part.
Overall, the results showed patients preferred doctors wearing white coats, with patients giving them a 4.9 “experienced” rating. This compares to a 3.1 rating for doctors wearing fleeces and a 3.1 rating for doctors wearing softshell jackets. Patients also said doctors wearing white coats were more professional (a 4.9 rating) than those wearing a softshell jacket (3.3 rating). READ MORE
Remote Patient Monitoring Excels in COVID-19 Treatment
Remote patient monitoring for patients with COVID-19 proved to be effective in preventing hospital admissions and improving recovery from the virus, according to a Kaiser Permanente study.
The California-based health system launched an RPM platform to treat infected patients at home, rather than in over-stressed hospitals and clinics, during the height of the pandemic. To evaluate its effectiveness, researchers at Southern California Permanente Medical Group studied 13,055 patients who were diagnosed with COVID-19 and participated in the program between April 13, 2020 and February 12, 2021.
Patients who tested positive for COVID-19 and had moderate risk were eligible to enroll in the program, which monitored them at home. Like many remote patient monitoring systems, the program required patients to enter daily symptoms through an mHealth app, which care providers could monitor at the hospital. READ MORE
Data Analysis Pinpoints Areas of Low Vaccination, Disparities
According to a new preventive medicine study, racial and ethnic minority communities are presenting low vaccination rates, highlighting health disparities and impacting population health. The study used data analytics and examined trends in vaccination rates from 2010 to 2019, focusing on race/ethnicity as well as socioeconomic status.
Vaccinations can significantly decrease deaths from vaccine-preventable diseases in children to 300 per year in the United States. However, more than 42,000 adults die each year from vaccine-preventable diseases.
Annually, influenza causes around 140,000 to 710,000 hospitalizations and 12,000 to 61,000 deaths in adults. Additionally, vulnerable communities find themselves at higher risk of influenza-related hospitalization. Pneumococcal disease causes around 242,000 hospitalizations and 16,000 deaths in adults aged 65 years or older each year. READ MORE
