Welter Healthcare Partners would like to wish you a Happy New Year! As 2019 comes to a close, we are thrilled to see what 2020 has to offer. The past year has been a tremendous success, with the celebration of our 25th Anniversary and having fantastic clients to work with. nnWe wish you a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year!
The Welter Healthcare Partners Family would like to wish you a Happy Holidays! As we spend time with family and friends, we would like to say thank you to our awesome clients and those who support and appreciate the work that we do. In observance of the holiday, Welter Healthcare Partners will be closed on December 25th to spend the holidays with our loved ones. nnIt has been a wonderful year with all of you!
Seasons Greetings! The holidays are a time filled with love and laughter as we spend time with the ones closest to us. So while you’re out at family get together’s or running to the shops for the last-minute gifts here are a few codes to watch out for. Read below for some of the important codes to know!n
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nJust to name a few. So stay safe and healthy this holiday season.
The government funding deal that is set to pass this week will block President Trump from taking major actions against ObamaCare. There will also be some notable changes on the bill which include raising the minimum age to purchase tobacco to 21. There also some major wins for medical insurance companies. Read below to find out more information!nnThe government funding deal poised to pass Congress this week would block President Trump from taking major actions to “sabotage” ObamaCare and would fully repeal three taxes in the health care law, according to a senior House Democratic aide.nnThe bipartisan deal would prevent Trump from taking what Democrats called “sabotage nuclear options” against ObamaCare. Specifically, that means the law will prevent Trump from unilaterally ending a workaround called “silver-loading,” which helps insurers compensate for the loss of key ObamaCare payments and has the effect of giving greater financial assistance to many ObamaCare enrollees.nnDemocrats had been worried Trump could end the practice in a bid to cause harm to the law. In addition, the deal will prevent Trump from ending automatic re-enrollment in ObamaCare plans, whereby if enrollees do not actively choose a new health insurance plan for the new year, they are automatically reenrolled to their current plan.nnOn a separate front on ObamaCare, the spending deal repeals three major taxes that had helped fund the law’s coverage expansion. The deal will repeal a 40 percent tax on generous “Cadillac” health plans, the 2.3 percent medical device tax and the health insurance tax.nnThose are major wins for the health insurance and medical device industries, which had long lobbied to lift those taxes. The Cadillac tax, in addition to providing about $200 billion in funding over 10 years, had been intended to help lower health care spending by incentivizing employers to lower costs to avoid hitting the tax. But the idea was opposed by unions and employers who did not want their health insurance plans taxed, setting up a broad bipartisan coalition against the idea.nnThe deal notably does not include a bipartisan measure to protect patients from surprise medical bills, despite a push from backers. That measure is mired in internal fighting among lawmakers and fierce lobbying by doctors and hospitals.nnThere are also not any major provisions included that would lower drug prices.nnHouse Democratic leaders are hoping there will be another chance to enact those priorities early next year, given that the deal sets up a May 22 deadline for renewing a range of expiring health programs like community health center funding. That deadline will create another must-pass health care bill that Democrats hope can include drug pricing and surprise billing measures.nnThe deal does include one relatively small bill to lower drug prices, called the Creates Act, which cracks down on drug companies gaming the system to delay the introduction of cheaper generic competitors.nnThe measure also raises the legal age to purchase tobacco to 21.nnDrug pricing advocates had fought for years to pass the bill, which was long opposed by the pharmaceutical industry. It is a sign of at least a small shift in the drug pricing debate that the measure is now passing.nnnOriginal article published on thehill.comnn
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As we approach 2020, we are gearing up for the changes that are making headway the coming year. Below are some of the updates that have been released regarding E/M changes, the final rule, and the physician fee schedule. For more information read below. For more on the services Welter Healthcare Partners provides contact us at 303.534.0388, or click here!nnWhat’s New for 2020 nnThe CY 2020 PFS conversion factor will increase to $36.0896, up to $0.05 from CY 2019. nnThree new Telehealth Service codes added to the Medicare-covered services list: n
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nCMS will offer these services without the usual geographical limitations for telehealth. The Medicare telehealth originating site fee increased to $26.65 in 2020, from $26.15 in 2019.nnPrincipal Care Management (PCM) for Chronic Care Management (CCM) nnIf you provide chronic care management (CCM) to patients with one chronic condition next year, report code G2064 for 30 minutes of work by a doctor or other qualified health care professional: “Comprehensive care management services for a single high‐risk disease, e.g., principal care management, at least 30 minutes of physician or other qualified health care professional time per calendar month with the following elements: One complex chronic condition lasting at least three months, which is the focus of the care plan, the condition is of sufficient severity to place patient at risk of hospitalization or have been the cause of a recent hospitalization, the condition requires development or revision of disease‐specific care plan, the condition requires frequent adjustments in the medication regimen, and/or the management of the condition is unusually complex due to comorbidities.” When clinical staff performs the work, you will report G2065.nnReduction of Administrative Burden nnModifications to the documentation policy now allows physicians, physician assistants, and advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs – nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, certified nurse‐midwives and certified registered nurse anesthetists) to review and verify (sign and date), rather than re‐documenting, notes made in the medical record by other physicians, residents, medical, physician assistant, and APRN students, nurses, or other members of the medical team. CMS also defined the APRN group of providers, which includes nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, certified nurse‐midwives and certified registered nurse anesthetists.nnPhysician Assistants Make Ground n
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nCMS Final Rule Aligns with E/M Coding Changes Laid Out by the CPT Editorial Panel for Office/Outpatient E/M Visits Beginning in 2021 n
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nFor more information on these updates visit pbn.decisionhealth.com, ama-assn.org, cms.gov, and aafp.orgnn nn nn