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Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)

Congress Must Act to Halt Medicare Payment Cuts and Avoid Further Damage to the U.S. Health-Care System

Close-up of of social security card and money

CODING AND REIMBURSEMENT | What Is the Social Security Number Removal Initiative and What Does It Mean to Audiologists?

Unfortunately, identity theft is something that we all need to think about these days. Medical identity theft is defined by the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) as when someone steals personal information such as a name, a social security number, or a Medicare number and uses it to obtain medical care, purchase drugs, or submit fake claims to Medicare.

Topic(s): Coding, Reimbursement, Medicare, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)

Author(s): 
Sandra Reams

Publication Issue: Audiology Today September/October 2017

The Academy and Other Provider Groups Call Upon Congress to Block Expected 2021 Medicare Cuts

The 2021 Proposed Medicare Physician Fee Schedule was released earlier this week (August 3) and the Academy has prepared a summary for members to review.  

In this proposed rule, CMS reiterated its plan to move forward with cuts to a wide variety of providers—both physician and non-physician—to counterbalance increases to primary care providers.  

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CMS Releases Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment Rule

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has released the Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment (OPP) rule proposing a conversion factor of $83.697 for hospitals meeting facility quality reporting requirements. 

CMS Releases Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment Proposed Rule

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has released the Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment (OPP) rule proposing a conversion factor of $83.697 for hospitals meeting facility quality reporting requirements. 

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Catherine Palmer, Academy President photo

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE | Real Change for Our Profession

On Friday, March 20, 2020, the entire group of audiologists I work with at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) was taking care of patients in person. Three days later, Monday, March 23, 2020, we were providing all of our services remotely. 

We had been thinking about expanding into telehealth over the past year, but we had all sorts of reasons why it wouldn’t, couldn’t, and shouldn’t work. And then one day, it had to work or we wouldn’t have been able to take care of our patients. 

Topic(s): President's Message, audiology, Telehealth, tele-audiology, teleaudiology, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), CARES Act, Medicare, cochlear implant codes, Cochlear Implants (CI)

Author(s): 
Catherine V. Palmer

Publication Issue: Audiology Today July/August 2020

Warren and  Rice Lead Letter to House and Senate Urging Inclusion of Medicare Audiologist Access and Services Act in Upcoming COVID-19 Packages

Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Representative Tom Rice (R-SC) led a letter along with Congressman Matt Cartwright (D-PA), Senator Rand Paul (R-KY), Senator Krysten Sinema (D-AZ), Congressman Darren Soto (D-FL), Congressman Gus Bilirakis and Congressman Rodney Davis (R-IL) to House and Senate leadership urging them to include provisions of the Medicare Audiologist Access and Services Act (H.R.4056/S.2446) in upcoming COVID-19 packages to enable vulnerable seniors to readily access critical hearing and balance healthcare services and allow audiologists to be better deployed to provide th

Executive Order Directs Federal Agencies to Recommend COVID-19 Regulatory Waivers 

President Trump signed a new executive order that directs federal agencies to identify and recommend COVID-19 regulatory waivers that should be made permanent. 

CMS has issued numerous waivers and multiple rules to ease regulatory burdens on the health sector during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The newly signed executive order asks federal agencies to look at the waivers they have made and determine “which, if any, would promote economic recovery if made permanent.”

Encourage Your Legislator to Support Inclusion of Medicare Audiology Provisions in Future COVID-19 Legislation

Congress is now working on crafting another COVID-19 relief package to follow up on the CARES Act passed last week.

CCHP Creates "COVID-19 Related State Actions" Resource

The Center for Connected Health Policy has created a resource which provides links to all state-related actions on telehealth that have been issued in response to the COVID-19 crisis.