Posts Tagged ‘CMS’
CMS Audit Updates—Proactive Steps to Ensure Readiness & Maintain Compliance
Success in any CMS audit depends on being prepared to ensure readiness and maintain compliance throughout the year. Taking proactive steps now to support future CMS audits will produce better results and experiences for health plans and create a greater level of confidence for participants. New Audit Protocols for CY2022 Earlier this year, CMS released…
Read MoreAn Advance Look at Medicare Advantage Benefits Changes for CY2022
Every year, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) updates its Plan Benefit Package (PBP) Software that Medicare Advantage (MA) and Part D plans use as part of their bid submissions. The PBP Beta Software is released in late January to allow plans to test and provide feedback before the full version is available…
Read MoreHow to Mitigate Compliance Risk & Improve Operations—An A-to-Z Approach
As the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) increases its scrutiny and escalates enforcement, Compliance managers are on guard to ensure regulatory standards are met—and fines, sanctions, or even termination from CMS programs, are avoided. How can Compliance and Operations managers mitigate compliance risk and improve operations? The best way to avoid compliance errors…
Read MoreAre Your Policies and Procedures Audit-Ready?
Policies and procedures are essential tools for any organization. By clearly articulating the requirements established by external oversight bodies and internal standards, they are an effective control to support consistency, accountability, and compliance. To be effective, policies and procedures should be: Designed as tools that help employees make decisions related to their assigned tasks/responsibilities; Clear,…
Read MoreHow to be a Rising Star—What Ratings Mean and How to Improve Them
It’s no secret that Star Ratings can have a significant impact on a health plan’s membership and bottom line. As competition increases, it’s essential to have strategies in place to elevate or maintain a 4+ star rating. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released Highlights of Contract Performance in 2021 Star Ratings.…
Read MoreCODY CEO authors chapter in new book for healthcare compliance professionals
Deb Mabari’s chapter covers payer privacy issues in the Health Care Compliance Association’s latest edition of “Health Care Privacy Compliance Handbook” TAMPA, Fla. (Oct. 27, 2020) – Deb Mabari, chief executive officer of CODY®, a Tampa, Fla.-based healthcare technology and consulting firm, has authored a chapter in the Health Care Compliance Association’s newest edition of…
Read MoreCMS Skips Another Year on the MCMG
Health plans are wondering “where are my updated Medicare Communications and Marketing Guidelines (MCMG)?” For the second consecutive year, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) stated that there will be no updated MCMG for CY2021. Instead, plans are instructed to use the existing MCMG and related memos from CY2020. How will changes be…
Read More4 ways to reduce – or eliminate – errors in your ANOCs and EOCs
The accuracy of Annual Notice of Changes (ANOC) and Evidence of Coverage (EOC) documents is an important requirement for all health plans. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) takes errors in these documents very seriously and penalties are given to health plans that distribute documents with errors. CMS recently announced changes to the…
Read MorePERSPECTIVES: Combining Medicare and Medicaid into One Program
The status quo of government-sponsored health programs is beginning to fail. The government recently reported that Medicare will run out of money in less than 20 years unless drastic changes are made. But how can our health care system be altered to correct deficiencies and adjust to changing conditions, avoid a huge financial crisis in…
Read MoreDealing with Change in the Medicare World
The healthcare world and Medicare health coverage are in a state of rapid and uncertain change. What can health plans and those serving health plans, such as pharmacy benefit managers and even consultants, do to be ready for both anticipated and unanticipated changes? Here are some of the issues facing the industry in today’s turbulent…
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