NASL:Â Physician Fee Schedule, 21st Century Cures Act & More

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July 10, 2015

NASL News

NASL's Summer Webinar Series Is Back!
Join us on July 21 @ 2PM EDT
After the SGR Fix â€“ What You Need to Know About Valued-Based Medicine
NASL is proud to kick off our summer webinar series with a joint presentation by AMDA (The Society for Post-Acute and Long Term Care Medicine) Director of Public Policy Alex Bardakh, MPP, PLC & NASL EVP Cynthia Morton, MPA. Get the physician's perspective in this new, post-SGR fix world - and how it's likely to affect NASL membership. Register today.

CMS Releases First Physician Fee Schedule Since SGR Repeal
Read NASL's Breaking News on the CY2016 Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule sent to members on July 8, highlighting key sections of the proposed rule by clicking here.

CMS Proposes New Bundled Payment Model - Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (CCJR) Model
Late yesterday, CMS announced a new initiative intended to "hold hospitals accountable for the quality of care they deliver to Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries for hip and knee replacements from surgery through recovery." The proposal for the Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (CCJR) 5-year payment model will be published in the July 14 edition of the Federal Register. Read CMS' press release on the new initiative. Review the pre-publication copy of CMS' new bundled payment proposal here.

House Passes 21st Century Cures Act
This morning, the House of Representatives passed the 21st Century Cures Act (H.R. 6) with a vote of 344 - 77. Nearly an identical number of Republicans and Democrats voted for the bill (170 Rs & 174 Ds voted for the bill). Now the focus will shift to the US Senate, which is developing its own bill.

Insufficient Documentation - New CERT Fact Sheet
A recent Medicare Learning Network issue highlighted education released from the Comprehensive Error Rate Testing (CERT) Part A and Part B and Durable Medical Equipment (DME) Medicare Administrative Contractor Outreach and Education Task Forces. The fact sheet discusses some of the more common procedures that have resulted in insufficient documentation errors, including those found in physical therapy services and DME. For physical therapy, documentation did not support certification of the plan of care for physical therapy services. For DME, certain DME Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System Codes require a valid detailed order prior to delivery. For more detail, see Medicare Learning Network article here.

Medicare Telehealth Parity Act Reintroduced
NASL has once again added our name as a supporting organization for the Medicare Telehealth Parity Act of 2015 (H.R.2948). The bipartisan legislation, sponsored by Representatives Mike Thompson (D-CA), Gregg Harper (R-MS), Diane Black (R-TN) and Peter Welch (D-VT), would lift the current telehealth policy restrictions by incrementally allowing store-and-forward and video conferencing technologies to be implemented over a four year cycle. Read more.

Legislation Would Increase PT Workforce in Underserved Areas
Earlier this year, the Physical Therapist Workforce & Patient Access Act of 2015 (S. 1426/H.R. 2342) was reintroduced in the House by Representatives John Shimkus (R-IL) and Diana DeGette (D-CO) and in the Senate by Senators Jon Tester (D-MT) and Roger Wicker (R-MS). This legislation would help to increase the physical therapist workforce as well as provide greater patient access to rehabilitation in underserved areas of the country. Read more.

OIG Releases 1 of 2 Reports on SNF Billing for Therapy Changes
On July 1, 2015, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) released the first of two reports on SNF billing practices around changes in therapy. The report, Skilled Nursing Facility Billing for Changes in Therapy: Improvements are Needed (OEI-02-13-00611) is available on the OIG website. Read NASL's summary of the OIG's report.

An Indelible Mark
Itâ€™s still hard to believe it, and even harder to write about it. For me, and for many others, Jack MacDonald was a mentor and a trusted voice. Executive Vice President & Chief Public Affairs Officer for Golden Living, he was a constant in the ever-evolving world of long term care policy and politics. Jack was a real presence, even though few knew that he waged a vigorous, albeit private, two-year battle with cancer. Perhaps that is why it was such a shock to hear of his passing. Serving on the NASL Board for many years, Jack had the utmost respect for this organization and fully understood and supported the important role NASL plays. All of us at NASL, along with his countless friends and colleagues on Capitol Hill and across the LTPAC sector, will miss his keen insights, his steadfast guidance and support and his thoughtful leadership. He has truly left an indelible mark on us all.

NASL 26th

ANNUAL MEETING

October 4-6, 2015
Marriott San Antonio Riverwalk
San Antonio, Texas

Register today.

Now accepting reservations

Sponsor Spotlight

NASL is pleased to spotlight 26th Annual Meeting sponsor, AFFIRMA Rehabilitation, a nationwide therapy company dedicated to providing quality rehabilitation therapy services. AFFIRMAâ€™s Physical, Occupational and Speech therapy programs, delivered from skilled nursing homes, are designed to meet the needs of the individuals they serve.

Join our growing list of prestigious sponsors

Contact Laura de la Calzada for details.

Event Reminders . . .

NASL Medical Services Committee - July 9 at 11:00 am EDT
(Replay info below)

NASL IT Committee - July 16 at 2:00 pm EDT
NASL Diagnostic Testing Committee - July 17 at 2:00 pm EDT
NASL Medical Products Committee - Date to be announced
Committee members, watch your email for agendas and call-in instructions.

NASL Summer Webinar Series Kick Off
July 21 at 2:00 pm EDT
Webinars are free to NASL members. Register now.

In Case You Missed It ...

MedPAC issued its annual June 2015 Report to the Congress: Medicare and the Health Care Delivery System. The report highlights several issues, including hospitals' increased use of outpatient observation status instead of admitting patients.

Replay of the July 9 NASL Medical Services Committee call is available here. Member login required.