AGG Talks: Home Health & Hospice Podcast - Episode 9: The Impact of AI and Prior Authorizations on Home Health and Hospice
The CMS Interoperability and Prior Authorization Rules
Comments are due in less than a month on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) proposals to make significant structural reforms to Medicare’s Competitive Bidding Program (“CBP”) for Durable Medical Equipment,...more
Often there is a lot of attention paid to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) Inpatient Prospective Payment System (“IPPS”), Outpatient Prospective Payment System (“OPPS”), and Medicare Physician Fee Schedule...more
New CMS program, WISeR, will leverage third parties to screen prior authorization requests using technologically enhanced processes....more
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is looking to reduce the volume of "low value" services furnished to Original Medicare beneficiaries through the recently announced Wasteful and Inappropriate Service...more
The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) recently announced a six-year payment model for 2026-2031 called the Wasteful and Inappropriate Service Reduction (WISeR) Model. WISeR will test the use of artificial...more
Both the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and dozens of the nation’s largest insurance companies have revealed upcoming changes to their prior authorization processes. These changes aim to reduce the prevalence...more
CMS announced the rollout of the WISeR (Wasteful and Inappropriate Service Reduction) model in June. It aims to use technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) to “ensure timely and appropriate Medicare payment for select...more
The last week of June was a busy one when it comes to news about prior authorization – a major tool used by health plans and the federal government to manage healthcare utilization. The week started with a commitment from...more
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently announced the launch of the Wasteful and Inappropriate Services Reduction (WISeR) Model, a six-year model under the CMS Innovation Center aimed at reducing...more
CMS recently announced a new model it will be using to pilot the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning in reviewing prior authorizations submitted for certain services CMS has identified as being at greater risk...more
Health plan members of AHIP and the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association made news earlier this week when they announced a series of steps that a broad swath of health insurers will take to improve the prior authorization...more
The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently released a report on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)’s oversight of prior authorization criteria for behavioral health services (BHS) by Medicare...more
Last week, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) published a report determining that there is a nontrivial risk that prior authorization requirements, together with internal coverage criteria, may undermine the Medicare...more
Last week, the contract year (CY) 2026 Medicare Advantage (MA) and Part D final reg entered the clearance process at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). As mentioned in a previous Regs & Eggs blog post, OMB’s review is...more
Traditional Medicare (Parts A and B) and Medicare Advantage (Part C, including additional vision, dental, and hearing benefits) plans aim to provide comprehensive medical benefits to American Seniors and adults with...more
Learning Objectives: - Discuss the new regulations and subsequent CMS guidance applicable to MAOs regarding coverage criteria and prior authorization - Discuss the broader current landscape between MAOs and providers,...more
Healthcare lives on data. Getting it to the patient and providers is essential for delivering quality care, but that can be a challenge. As Eden Avraham-Katz, Vice President, Legal and Compliance at 1upHealth explains in...more
With recent CMS mandates and state-level reforms, the healthcare industry faces a pivotal moment to improve prior authorization processes, ensuring timely access to care and integrating health equity considerations....more
On April 5, 2023, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published an expansive final rule amending Medicare Advantage (MA) regulations related to, among other things, coverage criteria and prior authorization....more
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently published the CMS Advancing Interoperability and Improving Prior Authorization Processes Final Rule (“PA Final Rule”) in the Federal Register....more
As part of its ongoing mission to modernize and improve the interoperability of the health care system, on January 17, 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized the CMS Interoperability and Prior...more
This issue of McDermott’s Healthcare Regulatory Check-Up highlights regulatory activity for January 2024. We discuss several US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) agency actions, including the new Innovation in...more
When stakeholders think about prior authorization in the Medicare program, they usually focus on its use in Medicare Advantage (MA), and not how it is used in traditional Medicare. In fact, a few weeks ago, the Centers for...more
On 17 January 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a final rule outlining new interoperability and prior authorization requirements for certain payors (Final Rule). With the adoption of the Final...more