NASL News

Get NASL's Analysis of PFS Final Rule for CY2016

NASL's summary and analysis of CMS' Medicare CY2016 Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule, which was published in the Federal Register on November 16, 2015, is now available. The final rule finalizes a number of new policies, including several linked to enactment of the Medicare Access & CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) that repealed the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula and changed quality reporting under Medicare. Read NASL's summary & analysis here.

"I don't know how... but, you packed one the busiest year's in my memory into 67 minutes!" 

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CMS Calls Recent Meeting "Extremely Productive" & "Meaningful"

This week, NASL and an informal group of post-acute care stakeholders met with CMS’ Center for Clinical Standards & Quality staff to discuss issues around implementation of quality measures mandated under the IMPACT Act. The group came together over the summer to review payment rules and the quality measures such as those recently released through NQF’s Measures Application Partnership. In this week's meeting, the group expressed frustration with the rapid deployment of quality measures with expedited comment periods and requested quarterly meetings with the CMS staff so there is a regular, open dialogue moving forward. The group also recommended that CMS work with the various organizations to ensure the education and training of providers around completion of Section GG and other requirements of the IMPACT Act runs smoothly. Training for skilled nursing facilities around Section GG is expected to begin sometime after the first of the year. NASL was very pleased that, during the discussion, CMS staff cited the functional measures developed by NASL and AHCA as a positive example of how groups can come together and work on measures that they can support and send through the process. NASL looks forward to continuing the dialogue and to the national provider call that CMS said would be scheduled for early February, which will address interoperability and related aspects of the IMPACT Act.