On July 6th, the Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services (CMS) released the draft rule for the 2017 Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System. Keep in mind, this is a draft rule and CMS is actively looking for comment on a number of their proposals; so, there is a possibility that the items inside of the rule can —...
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The Medicare program currently pays significantly different rates for services provided in different settings, and site-neutral payments have been considered as one way of eliminating the payment gap. However, that option has proven to be a contentious issue. In a previous Cassling webinar presented by The Advisory Board...
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Are you more “task oriented” or “people oriented?” Are you more outgoing or reserved? What about your staff and patients? How are your interactions with them? About 10 years ago, I was exposed to the DISC model of human behavior. Since that time, I have made it my mission to not only “see patients” but to connect with...
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One of the fastest-growing trends in healthcare is not happening at a university medical center or cancer research facility, but at your neighborhood shopping center, next door to Starbucks. Freestanding emergency departments (FSEDs) – EDs not attached to a hospital – are proliferating in highly populated suburbia, thanks...
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A trip into the healthcare maze can be a frightening, frustrating and lengthy experience for patients. It’s not uncommon to hear patients refrain: “Expect the worst. Hope for the best. Be prepared to wait, be uncomfortable and be ignored.” Being a healthcare provider has its own challenges as well. “How am I ever going to...
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By: David Fisher, Head of Global Policy and Government Affairs at Siemens Healthineers Our changing healthcare system requires all of us to change along with it. Just as medical device manufacturers have to adjust to increased scrutiny of value, so do hospitals, physicians and health IT manufacturers need to modify based...
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Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women worldwide, and when it comes to finding cancer—the sooner the better. There has been some debate in the women’s health community about what the right age is for women to start undergoing breast cancer screenings. Many recommend that women of higher risk (which includes...
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By Ethan Brosowsky, Director and National Spokesperson, The Advisory Board Company Five years after the signing of the Affordable Care Act, hospital and health system leaders sit at the center of a dizzying array of efforts to rein in healthcare spending. Major purchasers, including Medicare, Medicaid, health plans,...
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If you attended Cassling’s recent webinar, Predictions for Healthcare in 2016 & Beyond, one of the major trends we discussed was the shift to value. A number of initiatives have come out of the Affordable Care Act to cut Medicare fee-for-service payments and reward value instead of volume, but a new, recent piece of...
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By: David Pacitti, President of Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc. and Head of Siemens Healthcare’s North America Regional Organization It’s not enough to simply innovate and challenge industry standards in today’s health IT space – the real results and meaningful outcomes for patients are increasingly linked to those...
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With time constraints, limited resources and pressure to save money, your hospital and surgery team are likely doing everything they can to operate more efficiently. The recently FDA approved family of Siemens C-arms offers a solution to facilities who are trying to streamline workflows and increase surgical versatility...
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The stage is set and the curtain goes up April 1. That’s when the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) new Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (CJR) value-based payment rule will take effect. This marks the first time CMS has required participation in a value-based program. In the CJR model, hospitals are...
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You may have seen the article this weekend in the Omaha World-Herald about the status of rural health care. If you haven’t, you can find it here. Certainly some of the names and locations mentioned in the article hit close to home, and many are longtime, good customers of Cassling. But I’m personally disappointed that the...
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One of the latest moves toward value-based care is the push for imaging providers to adopt digital radiography (DR). CMS will begin reducing payments for Medicare-eligible film X-rays beginning in 2017. In 2018, payment cuts extend to X-rays performed using computed radiography (CR). With more than 8,500 CR systems in...
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Are you close to being XR-29 compliant? If you squeaked out a “no,” you’re certainly not alone. Although the reimbursement rubber hit the road the first week of January, it’s estimated that about 35 to 40 percent of imaging providers don’t yet have all of their CT equipment on the right side of the NEMA Smart Dose...
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