Archive - December 2016

By Pam Colbert Source: VGM Group Connect Hang on to your hat and your billing number – it’s gonna be a bumpy ride! As we shared with you back in 2014, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a new Final Rule in December 2013 announcing that CMS, under the authority of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), can and will revoke or deny enrollment and billing privileges of providers/suppliers who have a “pattern and practice” of submitting improper claims, which

By Robert Preidt Source: WebMD 2 millimeters is enough to guard against recurrences while reducing need for additional surgeries New surgery guidelines for certain breast cancer patients could reduce both unnecessary surgeries and recurrence rates, three U.S. cancer groups say. The guideline is for treatment of women with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) who undergo breast-conserving surgery with whole breast radiation. DCIS is an early stage cancer "The use of a 2-millimeter margin

By Ronda Buhrmester Source: VGM Group Connect An assignment agreement is between a supplier and a Medicare beneficiary. The option of accepting assignment belongs solely to the supplier. Suppliers have a choice to become a participating or non-participating Medicare supplier. Suppliers can change their participation status annually. Participation status is part of the enrollment process through the National Supplier Clearinghouse (NSC). Participation means the supplier always agrees to accept

by Brad Howard Source - Medtrade AMARILLO, TX - Many of your companies have classified certain managers, assistant managers, and key personnel as "exempt" from the current overtime laws. Under the current law, an employee who is paid a predetermined and fixed annual salary of $23,660 which is not subject to reduction because of variations in the quantity or quality of work, and who performs certain exempt duties, can be paid a regular salary, regardless of the number of hours the employee works

BY: VGM Government Relations Late last Thursday, S. 2736, the Patient Access to Durable Medical Equipment Act of 2016, was introduced in the Senate. This legislation offers a 15-month delay of the July 1 cuts to reimbursement rates in non-bid areas. This bill would push the cuts late into 2017 and al low the industry to focus on the highly viable,long-term solution of the Market Pricing Program (MPP) introduced in the past by Budget Chairman Tom Price (R-Ga.). This legislation would not change

Targeted therapy is a newer type of cancer treatment that uses drugs or other substances to more precisely identify and attack cancer cells, usually while doing little damage to normal cells. Targeted therapy is a growing part of many cancer treatment regimens. Click on the topics below to get started. What is targeted cancer therapy? Side effects of targeted cancer therapy drugs Things to know before getting targeted cancer therapy Source:

WASHINGTON – Recovery audit contractors identified and corrected nearly $441 million in improper payments in Fiscal year 2015—a decrease of 82.8% compared to 2014. In a new report to Congress, “Recovery Auditing in Medicare Fee-For-Service for Fiscal year 2015,” CMS attributes the decrease to the prohibition on the RACs performing patient status reviews on inpatient hospital claims. Collections on inpatient claims were $2.02 billion in FY 2014 compared to

Over the long term, local recurrence is more likely in young women with invasive breast cancer who undergo breast conserving surgery (BCS) compared with those who undergo mastectomy, though survival is no different, according to a new study. Also, achieving clear surgical margins and the use of post-mastectomy chest wall radiotherapy (RT) was more important than extent of surgery for positive outcomes. The two surgical options “have been looked at in randomized

A breast cancer diagnosis is overwhelming. Not only are you processing the fact that you have a life-threatening disease, but you’re also facing a multitude of treatment decisions. For many women, those include having a mastectomy and dealing with the difficult emotions that surface when thinking about the loss of one or both of your breasts. While breast reconstruction has become the standard of care and a way to help many women “feel whole” again, it should never be assumed

It’s that time of year, your final numbers are in and you’re looking to make your dollar go further in the coming year.  We get this question often in December – how can I market best online while using a limited budget? No matter what size your budget is in 2017, I believe you must pay close attention to your online directories.  At VGM Forbin, we call it Reputation Management.  Your online reputation is built when customers, or you, search for your business.