05/04/21
Sid Wong
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has just released their latest version of the
Section 1.1 of the new WCMSA Reference Guide lists the changes made by CMS in this edition. In general, outside of CMS s change to Conduent Strataware (“Strataware”) for pricing WCMSA treatment, the changes do not substantively impact the current WCMSA review process, but rather serve to update current CMS WCMSA handling practices.
The following provides a general overview of Version 3.3. updates:
WCMSA Reference Guide (Version 3.3) updates
The main updates made by CMS in the new WCMSA Reference Guide include:
An updated link to the current CDC life table used for calculating WCMSAs;
WASHINGTON â The White House and lawmakers are seeking to build momentum on what they view as a more comprehensive policy solution to address the nationâs rising rates of maternal mortality and morbidity.
Advocates and lawmakers are working on comprehensive legislation to curb maternal deaths, which has emerged as a bipartisan priority in recent years.
Maternal mortality, or death during or up to a year after childbirth, is a growing problem in the United States. The U.S. has the highest maternal mortality rate of any developed nation.
The maternal mortality rate was 20.1 per 100,000 live births in the U.S. in 2019, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That number was more than double the rate â at 44 deaths per 100,000 live births â for non-Hispanic Black women.
Tennessee-based addiction treatment companies ReVIDA Recovery Centers and Cedar Recovery have been selected by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to participate in a four-year demonstration exploring new payments and delivery models in treating patients with opioid use disorder.
The trial seeks to increase access to addiction treatment services and improve physical and mental outcomes for Medicare Fee-For-Service beneficiaries, according to CMS, while attempting to reduce expenditures for the safety-net payer.
ReVIDA and Cedar Recovery will now receive two new Medicare payments for participating in the demonstration, including a per-beneficiary, per-month care management fee and a performance-based incentive payment.
bkibler@altoonamirror.com
UPMC Altoona has received an A, the highest mark, this spring from The Leapfrog Group, a nonprofit watchdog organization that rates hospitals on their ability to protect patients from preventable errors, accidents, injuries and infections.
It’s the sixth consecutive A for the hospital from Leapfrog, which issues reports twice a year.
The hospital also has a four-stars-out-of-five rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and only one “black mark” among 16 illness categories from the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment’s latest performance report.
“It’s a significant achievement, especially because it comes at such challenging times in health care,” said Dr. David Burwell, chief quality officer for UPMCs Altoona, Bedford, Somerset and Western Maryland, in a phone interview.