The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will hold the next Home Health, Hospice & DME Open Door Forum at 2:00 p.m. (ET) on September 17, 2008. 

There are 2 ways to participate in the Open Door Forum.  To participate by telephone, one must dial 1-800-837-1935 and reference conference ID 58369938.  To participate in person, RSVP and security clearance is required.  One must RSVP by 2:00 p.m. (ET) on September 15, 2008 to HOMEHEALTH_HOSPICE_DMEODF-L@cms.hhs.gov, and include your name, organization, phone number, and the words “Home Health” in the subject line.  The Open Door Forum will take place at the Hubert H. Humphrey Building, 200 Independence Avenue S.W., Washington, D.C. 

Beginning 2 hours after the Open Door Forum, CMS will also make an audio recording available.  To access the audio recording, one must dial 1-800-642-1687 and enter the conference ID.  The recording will expire after 3 business days.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently announced that it will hold the next Skilled Nursing Facility/Long-Term Care Open Door Forum at 2:00 p.m. (EDT) on September 11, 2008.

To participate by telephone, one must dial 1-800-837-1935 and reference conference ID 58369702.  To participate in person, RSVP and security clearance is required.  One must RSVP by 2:00 p.m. (EDT) on September 9, 2008 to SNF_LTCODF-L@cms.hhs.gov, and include your name, organization, phone number, and “SNF/LTC” in the subject line.  The Open Door Forum will take place at the Hubert H. Humphrey Building, 200 Independence Avenue S.W., Washington, D.C.   

Beginning September 15, 2008, CMS will also make an audio recording of the Open Door Forum available.  To access the audio recording, one must dial 1-800-642-1687 and enter the conference ID.  The recording will expire after 3 business days.

In a recent news release, Wolters Kluwer Health reports that a national survey of health information management (HIM) directors suggests that 92 percent of HIM directors are familiar with the Medicare Recovery Audit Contractor (RAC) program.  Of those HIM directors, the news release reveals that only 5 percent believe that the RAC program will have a positive financial impact on their facility in the form of funds attributable to Medicare underpayments.  Instead, 88 percent anticipate a negative financial impact due to their facility owing funds in the form of Medicare overpayments (40 percent) or their facility coming out about even (48 percent). Further, of the total surveyed, the news release indicates that 81 percent report that their facilities are taking steps to improve Medicare claims accuracy. According to the news release, such steps include:

• Conducting internal audits (77 percent);
• Implementing a documentation improvement plan (66 percent); and/or
• Creating a special task force to examine documentation, coding and billing (57 percent).

For more information on the survey, examine the news release on the Wolters Kluwer Health website.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will host a National E-Prescribing Conference on October 6-7, 2008 at the Sheraton Boston Hotel, Boston, Massachusetts. 

CMS reports that the conference will serve to educate providers and beneficiary constituencies on the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 (MIPPA) e-prescribing program and promote e-prescribing throughout the health care community.  According to CMS, the preliminary agenda for the conference includes topics such as:

• Equip health care professionals with the knowledge and tools to integrate e-prescribing into their business and business model;
• Generate discussion about using e-prescribing and other e-health initiatives to increase patient compliance and overall improved health outcomes;
• Educate health care professionals about the structure and CMS' plans for implementing an incentive payment system in regard to e-prescribing and the Physician Quality Reporting Initiative;
• Identify and promote opportunities to overcome barriers to adopt this new technology; and
• Address constituent concerns about privacy, security and risk management in regard to the implementation.

To participate in the conference, registration is required.

Section 132 of the MIPPA provides for CMS to pay incentive payments to physicians for successfully satisfying certain e-prescribing requirements beginning in 2009.  However, the MIPPA provides for the incentive payments to begin phasing out in 2011.  The MIPAA also provides for a penalty to arise in 2012 for not successfully satisfying e-prescribing requirements.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently announced in a notice that it will host a town hall meeting from 2:00 p.m.- 4:00 p.m. (ET) on September 22, 2008.  The meeting will be held via conference call and in the CMS auditorium at 7500 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, Maryland.

The purpose of the town hall meeting is to entertain provider feedback on Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) policy and operational issues.  The meeting is open to all Medicare FFS providers and suppliers that participate in the Medicare program.  CMS reports that agenda topics will include, but not be limited to:

• 5010- Possible next version of HIPAA standards for claims and other transactions; and
• Recovery auditing and Medicare Administrative Contractor transitions.

During the town hall meeting, CMS will offer meeting participants an opportunity to provide feedback on agenda topics. However, CMS reports that not all participants will have an opportunity to speak due to time constraints.  Nevertheless, CMS reports that it will accept written submissions at MFG@cms.hhs.gov through September 30, 2008. By September 19, 2008, CMS is also expected to post meeting agenda and discussion materials for download here.

To participate in the town hall meeting, registration is required.  Registration will open on August 29, 2008 and close on September 17, 2008. CMS reports that registered participants may be contacted for follow up meetings to solicit additional opinions and clarify any issues that arise during the town hall meeting.

CMS reports that persons attending the town hall meeting in person will be required to show photographic identification (a valid driver's license or passport).  For further details, CMS refers possible meeting participants to the August 22, 2008 Federal Register notice.  For questions or additional information, CMS reports that email may be sent to MFG@cms.hhs.gov.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) reports that it will host another national provider conference call on the 2008 Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI).  The conference call will take place from 3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. (EDT) on September 18, 2008.

During the conference call, CMS reports that it will provide an update on registry reporting for 2008, and information on the e-prescribing measure for the 2008 PQRI (measure #125) and proposed measures for the 2009 PQRI, incentives for electronic prescribing and the 2007 PQRI feedback reports and incentive payments. The conference call will also include a question and answer session.  CMS will post a Powerpoint presentation on the CMS Sponsored Calls page of the CMS website prior to the conference call.

To participate in the conference call, registration is required. Registration will close at 3:30 p.m. (EDT) on September 17, 2008 or when available space has been filled.  For those unable to participate in the conference call, a replay of the call will be accessible from 5:30 p.m. (EDT) on September 18, 2008 until 11:59 p.m. (EDT) on September 25, 2008.  To access the replay, one must call 1-800-642-1687 and use passcode 61954941.

On August 27, 2008, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a Press Release announcing the release of the report outlining the results for the 2008 Medicare Contractor Provider Satisfaction Survey (MCPSS). 

According to CMS, the average score based on a satisfaction survey across all contractors was 4.51 (on a scale of 1 to 6).  Last years average score was 4.56. CMS believes that such scores indicate that providers continue to be satisfied with the services provided by Medicare fee-for-service contractors. 

The MCPSS is mandated by the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003.  The MCPSS is designed to gather and report objective, quantifiable data on provider satisfaction with Medicare fee-for-service contractors who process and pay Medicare claims.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently announced the 32 registries that have been qualified by CMS to submit quality data on behalf of their participants for the 2008 Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI) registry submission option.  According to CMS, each registry has gone through a vetting process, which has included investigating their capabilities, reviewing sample measure flow, and transmitting the required information in the requested file format.  CMS encourages eligible professionals interested in registry based participation for PQRI in 2008 to contact the registries directly.

In a recent article, the New York Times reports that the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (OIG) will be releasing a report that calls into question the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services claims that it reduced the improper payment rate for durable medical equipment. The article even suggests that the OIG report may depict such claims as misleading.  According to the article, the OIG's report is still in draft form but may be released to the public in the next week.

UPDATE: The report referenced in the recent New York Times article can be found here.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently announced that it will host a Special Open Door Forum from 2 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. (EDT) on September 3, 2008 to provide guidance to DMEPOS suppliers on the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 (MIPPA). 

During the Special Open Door Forum, CMS is expected to address Subparagraph (F) of the MIPPA's Section 154(b).  Subparagraph (F) suggests that eligible professionals and other persons may be exempt from meeting the September 30, 2009 accreditation deadline until CMS determines that the quality standards are specifically designed to apply to such professionals and persons.  CMS is also expected to address the Subparagraph (F) provision suggesting that CMS may exempt such professionals and persons from the quality standards based on certain licensing, accreditation or other mandatory quality requirements.

To participate in the Special Open Door Forum, one must dial 1-800-837-1935 and reference conference ID 61231070.  CMS will also make an audio recording of the Special Open Door Forum available that will be accessible for downloading beginning September 10, 2008.  The audio recording will be available on the Special Open Door Forum page of the CMS website.