Introduction to the Medicare Advantage Program
The Medicare Part C Program was developed following passage of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 and went into effect in January of 1999. With identified gaps in coverage for Medicare beneficiaries, the addition of an optional Medicare program permitted the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to contract with private or public agencies to provide additional Medicare options for beneficiaries who wished to seek coverage in addition to original Medicare’s Part A and B benefits.
Topic(s): Coding, Reimbursement, audiology, Hearing Aids, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)
Australia is the sixth largest country in the world by land mass, but is the 53rd largest by population. The majority of Australians reside in the coastal borders of the country, leaving the midland or “outback” with far fewer. Australia’s population contains a large number of settlers from various countries as well as the first-nations peoples, i.e., Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islanders, who arrived at the mainland and islands more than 50,000 years ago. The first-nations population take great pride in their unique and vibrant culture.
Topic(s): Australia, audiology, Heart of Hearing Group, Newborn Hearing Screening, Health Care
In July 2019, the American Academy of Audiology released its Clinical Practice Guidelines for Cochlear Implants (CIs) (Messersmith et al, 2019). Cochlear implantation is a surgical procedure for the treatment of severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss in both children and adults.
Topic(s): Cochlear Implants (CI), Coding, Reimbursement
