Anthem’s Prediction of 30% Rise in Drug Costs for 2018 Raises Questions Health insurance giant Anthem predicts Californians will pop a lot more pills next year. To make the case for a hefty premium hike in the state’s individual insurance market, Anthem Blue Cross has forecast a 30% jump in prescription drug costs for 2018. Such a sharp increase is nearly double the estimates of two other big insurers, and it runs counter to industry trends nationally. Read More... September 27, 2017 Blue Cross, Insurance 0 0 Comment Read More »
Updated Editing of Always Therapy Services - MCS This MLN Matters Article is intended for therapists, physicians, and certain other practitioners billing Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) for therapy services provided to Medicare beneficiaries. Services furnished under the Outpatient Therapy (OPT) services benefit – including SpeechLanguage Pathology (SLP), Occupational Therapy (OT), and Physical Therapy (PT) – are subject to the financial limitations, known as therapy caps, originally required under Section 4541 of the Balanced Budget Act (1997). Read the entire article August 2, 2017 Medicare 0 0 Comment Read More »
The problem of martyrdom in medicine I recently read the award-winning physician essay in Medical Economics entitled “Lunch is for Losers,” about the sacrifice that physicians make for patient care. As I read this doctor’s reflections of keeping crackers and candy bars in his lab coat pockets because he didn’t have time to eat during his med school days, it reminded me of the GYN attending I had in my residency who loved to cheerfully tell bleary-eyed interns: “You can sleep when you’re dead.” Read More... July 24, 2017 General 0 0 Comment Read More »
Medi-Cal postponing deactivation of inactive providers Earlier this month, the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) notified approximately 30,000 Medi-Cal providers that they were being "deactivated" because they had not submitted a claim or rendered services reported on a Medi-Cal claim in the last 12 months. The notices indicated that the deactivation date would be July 22, 2017. DHCS has, however, decided to not to proceed with the planned deactivation. DHCS will instead be reconsidering what is defined as "inactivity" after the department was made aware that such deactivation would be problematic for some providers—particularly those ... July 24, 2017 Medi-Cal 0 0 Comment Read More »
New video shows physicians how to avoid Medicare payment penalties The American Medical Association (AMA) has published a short instructional video to help physicians avoid being penalized under the new Medicare Quality Payment Program (QPP). WATCH... July 14, 2017 Medicare 0 0 Comment Read More »
