Medicare

clock, countdown, midnight-334117.jpg

Case Study: Two-Midnight Rule Helps Overturn Medicare Advantage Plan Inpatient Denial

CLINICAL SUMMARY: Two-Midnight Rule Helps Overturn Medicare Advantage Plan Inpatient Denial   A 68-year-old patient with an extensive medical history arrived at the emergency room after three days of acute gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding. The patient experienced nausea and observed bright red stool blood that persisted. The patient’s medical history included atrial fibrillation treated with an […]

Case Study: Two-Midnight Rule Helps Overturn Medicare Advantage Plan Inpatient Denial Read More »

Medical chart review

HHS OIG Report Shows Code Adjustments May Indicate Denials

In a report released March 2 by OIG, investigators found “that most 2019 MA (Medicare Advantage) encounter records contained at least one adjustment code and 55 million of these records contained codes that may indicate the denial of payments by MAOs Medicare Advantage Organizations).” The report’s key take away was that while most of the

HHS OIG Report Shows Code Adjustments May Indicate Denials Read More »

CMS proposed rule change laptop with text

CMS Proposed Rule Changes for MA Patients

CMS proposed rule impacts how hospitals determine LOS for MA patients   The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently proposed rule changes (CMS-4201) that could have a significant impact on how hospital utilization management determines level of care for Medicare Advantage patients. The proposed rule1 reflects the agency’s focus on increasing transparency, improving health

CMS Proposed Rule Changes for MA Patients Read More »

Medicare Appeals Process Needs Changes

Medicare Appeals Process Needs to be Amended

In her recent article, “Ghosting the Medicare Provider Appeals Process,” Knicole C. Emanuel Esq. argues that the process by which denied Medicare claims are reviewed and appealed is counter to rest of the U.S. legal system. The lengthy process for addressing denied Medicare claims is multi-tiered and, until recently, hampered by a years-long backlog due

Medicare Appeals Process Needs to be Amended Read More »

AppriseMD physician advisors provide essential utilization review and denial management services to hospitals

How Does the Two-midnight Rule Apply When a Traditional Medicare Patient Has No Safe Discharge Plan?

For a traditional Medicare patient admitted for observation, it is not uncommon to remain in the hospital longer than two midnights due to non-medical reasons including waiting for a transfer to another facility or family situations. In these cases, the reason the patient remains hospitalized is the lack of a safe discharge plan. Should such

How Does the Two-midnight Rule Apply When a Traditional Medicare Patient Has No Safe Discharge Plan? Read More »

Doctors in surgery, CMS to keep inpatient only list

CMS to Keep the Inpatient Only List

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ decision to not eliminate the inpatient only list (IPO) was due to the numerous comments and feedback it received from the medical community, the COVID-19 public health emergency and the fact that the change “transpired quickly,” according to the final rule (CMS-1753FC) issued in December.1 Heading into 2022,

CMS to Keep the Inpatient Only List Read More »

Administrative law judge reviews appeals at the highest level

Appealing Denials through the Medicare Claims Appeals Process Works

Though it took time and effort, an administrative law judge ruled in favor of a client hospital and overturned a Medicare claim denial for a total knee replacement surgery. The hospital can now fully recover the cost of that surgery, with interest. The case dates back to 2015 when a traditional Medicare patient underwent a

Appealing Denials through the Medicare Claims Appeals Process Works Read More »

Scroll to Top