Headline

The latest stories from AHA Today.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services late today issued its final rule for the physician fee schedule for calendar year 2018. CMS estimates a 0.41% increase in physician payment rates for 2018 compared to 2017, after applying a 0.5% payment increase required by the Medicare…
Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady (R-TX) today unveiled House Republican leaders’ proposal to reform the tax code. Among other changes, the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act would eliminate hospitals’ ability to access low-cost capital financing through tax-exempt private activity bonds. In addition, the…
Sens. John Thune (R-SD), Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Mike Enzi (R-WY), Pat Roberts (R-KS), Richard Burr (R-NC) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA) today introduced the EHR Regulatory Relief Act (S. 2059), legislation that would provide regulatory flexibility and hardship relief to hospitals and eligible…
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and House Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady (R-TX) yesterday introduced the Healthcare Market Certainty and Mandate Relief Act of 2017 that would fund cost-sharing reduction payments to health insurers for two years and eliminate temporarily…
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Nov. 1 announced it will update the hospital outpatient prospective payment system rates by 1.35% in calendar year 2018 compared to CY 2017. The rule also finalizes CMS’s proposal to drastically cut Medicare payment for drugs that are acquired under…
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services today announced it will update the hospital outpatient prospective payment system rates by 1.35% in calendar year 2018 compared to CY 2017. The rule also finalizes CMS’s proposal to drastically cut Medicare payment for drugs that are acquired…
The President’s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis today released its final report with more than 50 recommendations to address the opioid epidemic.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services today released the final rule for the home health prospective payment system for calendar year 2018. For CY 2018, the rule decreases net HH payments by 0.4 percentage points, or $80 million, relative to CY 2017.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services today announced a new Section 1115 waiver policy that allows states to design demonstration projects that increase access to treatment for opioid use disorders and other substance use disorders.
Open enrollment at HealthCare.gov for 2018 health coverage is now underway through Dec. 15. On the site, consumers can review 2018 plans and prices for the federal health insurance exchange and purchase health coverage to take effect beginning Jan. 1.