Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDP Clinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare CMS posted QSO-23-19-Hospitals this morning (July 17, 2023).  Medicare-certified hospitals have a regulatory obligation to care for patients in a safe setting under the Medicare Hospital Conditions of Participation at §482.13(c)(2). The intention of this requirement is to specify that each patient receives care in…… Continue reading Ligature Risk and Assessment in Hospitals   

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued its proposed policies for the Quality Payment Program (QPP) via the Calendar Year (CY) 2024 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) Proposed Rule, with proposals applicable to the 2024 performance year. These include proposals for the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and Advanced Alternative…… Continue reading CMS Proposes Policy Changes for Quality Payment Program

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare For those providers who have Joint Commission accreditation: Prepublication Standards – Effective August 27, 2023. Last year, The Joint Commission reviewed the hospital accreditation requirements that are above and beyond the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Conditions of Participation (CoPs) and reduced the requirements…… Continue reading The Joint Commission: Select Retired and Revised Accreditation Requirements

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare Be part of Healthy Vision Month 2023. Eye disease and vision loss affect millions of Americans—including many older adults. As people get older, they’re at greater risk for common eye diseases and conditions, including age-related macular degeneration (AMD), cataracts, and glaucoma.  Many eye diseases have no early symptoms. But the good news is that regular comprehensive dilated eye…… Continue reading July is Healthy Vision Month

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare Transmittal 12123 was posted July 11, 2023. Note the Effective/Implementation Date is July 17, 2023. I. GENERAL INFORMATION A. Background: Medicare Regulation 42 CFR section 405.378 provides for the assessment of interest at the higher of the current value of funds rate (one percent for calendar…… Continue reading Notice of New Interest Rate for Medicare Overpayments and Underpayments -4th Quarter Notification for FY 2023

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare The 2024 ICD-10-CM files below contain information on the ICD-10-CM updates for FY 2024. These 2024 ICD-10-CM codes are to be used for discharges occurring from October 1, 2023 through September 30, 2024 and for patient encounters occurring from October 1, 2023 through September 30, 2024.…… Continue reading FY 2024 ICD-10-CM Coding Guidelines and FY 2024 Conversion Table Now Available

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare On Thursday, July 6, 2023, the OIG posted two (2) Adverse Events Toolkits for Identifying Patient Harm. Toolkit: Medical Record Review Methodology             Provides an explanation of the OIG methodology, including details about our definition of            patient harm and how we categorized events by severity…… Continue reading Adverse Events Toolkits: Medical Record Review Methodology and Clinical Guidance for Identifying Patient Harm

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare Please join the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, and her leadership team, who will provide an update on CMS’ recent accomplishments and how our cross-cutting initiatives are advancing CMS’ Strategic Plan. CMS serves the public as a trusted partner and steward dedicated to advancing…… Continue reading National Stakeholder Call with the CMS Administrator on July 18, 2023

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ (ACIP) voted to again recommend annual influenza (flu) vaccination for everyone 6 months and older in the United States, and CDC Director Rochelle P. Walensky, M.D., M.P.H. has adopted their recommendations. The guidance around vaccine administration to egg-allergic patients changed…… Continue reading CDC Director Adopts ACIP Flu Vaccination Recommendations for 2023-2024 Season

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is issuing this Health Alert Network (HAN) Health Advisory (June 26, 2023) to share information and notify clinicians, public health authorities, and the public about— Identification of locally acquired malaria cases (P. vivax) in two U.S. states (Florida [4]…… Continue reading Locally Acquired Malaria Cases Identified in the United States