Stakeholders are happy with a Facilities for Medicare & Medicaid Companies (CMS) proposed rule to deal with the impression of widespread anomalous billing and suspected fraud involving urinary catheters that impacted Medicare accountable care group (ACO) outcomes.
In response to a Feb. 24 story within the New York Occasions, greater than 450,000 Medicare beneficiaries accounts have been billed for urinary catheters in 2023, up from about 50,000 in earlier years. The info got here from a report produced by the Institute for Accountable Care and NAACOS. “The huge uptick in billing for catheters included $2 billion charged by seven high-volume suppliers, in response to that evaluation, probably accounting for practically one-fifth of all Medicare spending on medical provides in 2023,” the Occasions story famous.
On this proposed rule, CMS proposes to exclude cost quantities for the 2 Healthcare Frequent Process Coding System (HCPCS) codes on Sturdy Medical Gear, Prosthetics, Orthotics & Provides (DMEPOS) claims submitted by any provider from expenditure and income calculations used for: assessing efficiency 12 months (PY) 2023 monetary efficiency of Shared Financial savings Program ACOs, establishing benchmarks for ACOs beginning settlement intervals in 2024, 2025, and 2026, and calculating components used to find out income standing and compensation mechanism quantities within the utility and alter request cycles for ACOs making use of to enter a brand new settlement interval starting on January 1, 2025, or proceed their participation in this system in PY 2025, respectively.
The modifications to the Shared Financial savings Program monetary methodology on this proposed rule, with a 30-day remark interval, are anticipated to delay by as much as six weeks issuance of preliminary determinations and disbursements of earned efficiency funds for PY 2023.
They’d permit CMS to take care of well timed adjudication of sure determinations of applicant ACOs’ eligibility to take part underneath the advance funding cost choice, or the ACO Main Care Flex Mannequin, for an settlement interval starting January 1, 2025, and well timed finalization of compensation mechanism preparations required for ACOs to enter or proceed their participation in two-sided fashions for PY 2025. Moreover, the modifications as proposed would delay the calculation of ultimate historic benchmarks, and supply of associated reviews, for ACOs that entered an settlement interval starting on January 1, 2024.
ACO stakeholders expressed their approval of the proposed rule. “NAACOS applauds CMS for implementing stakeholder suggestions to carry ACOs innocent for vital anomalous and extremely suspect catheter expenditures in 2023,” stated NAACOS in a press release. “This ensures that clinicians, hospitals, different healthcare suppliers, and ACOs can stay within the fashions and usually are not unfairly penalized. As a part of their efforts to advertise prime quality and environment friendly care, ACOs shortly found larger spending and reported suspected fraud. It’s by means of these efforts that ACOs function a steward of the Medicare program. We sit up for working with CMS to determine everlasting insurance policies that may tackle future situations of fraud, waste, and abuse, in addition to streamline the method for identification and reporting.”
Premier counseled CMS for its swift motion in proposing to deal with the suspect suspect billing exercise in Medicare to make sure that ACOs are held innocent. In a current letter to CMS, Premier joined further stakeholder teams in highlighting a staggering 20-fold improve in Medicare claims associated to catheters over the previous two years, which CMS is now actively investigating as suspected fraud. “Premier applauds CMS for adopting our suggestion to exclude funds for the 2 catheter HCPCS codes from the 2023 efficiency 12 months, defending MSSP ACOs from unjust repercussions attributable to SAHS billing.” Premier added that it appears to be like ahead to continued collaboration with CMS to develop a long-term answer that streamlines the method for MSSP ACOs to report suspected fraud and safeguards them from being unfairly penalized for billing that’s outdoors of their management.
