Help End Observation Status: Act Now 

Legislation pending in Congress, the "Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act of 2013" (H.R. 1179/S.569) can end the problem of Observation Status. Contact your legislators now to support this critical legislation.

Read more about Observation Status

New Story! NPR Blog - For Hospital Patients, Observation Status Can Prove Costly

Upcoming Webinars 

February 12, 2014: Tackling the Medicare Face-to-Face Requirement for Home Health, Presented by Attorney Wey-Wey Kwok.

Since its implementation in 2011, the face-to-face encounter requirement (F2F) has created confusion among home health agencies, physicians, and other parties involved. Recent analysis shows a continuing increase in claims denials related to documentation for the F2F encounter, raising concerns that the requirement may negatively impact patients’ access to home care. This CMA Webinar will discuss guidelines for satisfying the Medicare F2F requirement.  Register Now!

April, 2014: Practical Tips for Arguing Your Case Before Administrative Law Judges (ALJs), Presented by Senior Attorney Mary Ashkar and Senior Attorney Terry Berthelot. Details to follow.

Register Now: CMS Education Pursuant to the Jimmo Settlement (12/19/13, 2PM)

As part of the Settlement agreement, CMS agreed to undertake an education campaign. As part of that campaign, this MLN Connects^tm call will provide an overview of clarifications to the Medicare program manuals, including:

• Clarification of Medicare’s policy on coverage for skilled services;

• No "Improvement Standard" is to be applied in determining Medicare coverage for maintenance claims that require skilled care;

• Enhanced guidance on appropriate documentation.

Register Now to participate in the call.