Here’s what you should know.
1. The OIG said Medicare paid $2.9 billion in 2014 for potentially inappropriate short inpatient stays.
The office also said that Medicare is paying more for short inpatient stays than for short outpatient stays and that hospitals continue to bill for a large number of long outpatient stays.
The OIG also found that an increased number of beneficiaries in outpatient stays pay more and have limited access to long-term care services following hospitalization than they would as inpatients.
2. ABC believes hospitals will have their billing practices scrutinized more closely as a result of these vulnerabilities.
3. CMS created the two-midnight rule to control healthcare costs while protecting beneficiaries by reducing the number of long outpatient hospital stays.
4. ABC said although the rule will most likely not impact anesthesiologists, they should “understand and be sensitive to their partners’ concerns.”
More articles on anesthesia:
NAPA celebrates nurse anesthetist, anesthesiologist weeks
Wickenburg Community Hospital taps Plexus Technology Group for anesthesia EMR: 3 highlights
Anesthesia Business Consultants, MiraMed submit to become Qualified Clinical Data Registry: 3 notes
At the Becker’s 32nd Annual Meeting: The Business and Operations of ASCs, taking place October 29-31 in Chicago, ASC leaders, surgeons and healthcare executives will explore strategies to drive growth, enhance operational performance, navigate reimbursement challenges and prepare for the future of ambulatory surgery. Apply for complimentary registration now.