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8/3/11 Edition: Rule Updates Medicare Payment Policies Highest Readmissions Lose Reimbursement Collaborative Case Management ACM Application Deadline Reminder

Healthcare News & Legislative Update CMS Issues Final Rule Updating Medicare Payment Policies and Rates for Hospitals On Monday, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final rule that will update Medicare payment policies and rates for hospitals in fiscal year (FY) 2012. According to the agency, the final rule, which will affect Medicare payments to general acute care hospitals and long-term care hospitals for inpatient stays, supports efforts to promote ongoing improvements in hospital care that will lead to better patient outcomes while addressing long-term health care cost growth. The rule updates payment policies and rates for acute care hospitals paid under the Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS), as well as hospitals paid under the Long Term Care Hospital Prospective Payment System (LTCH PPS) - read more...

Last Week's briefCASE Legislative Updates CAREER LINK Case Management Jobs Division VP Case Management St. David's HealthCare Austin, TX More Information... Lead Case Manager Select Specialty Hospital Taylor, MI More Information... Director, Utilization Management Northridge Hospital Medical Center Northridge, CA More Information... RN Case Manager CHRISTUS Spohn Health System Corpus Christi, TX More Information... To access complete Career Link listings click here...

Hospitals with the Highest Readmissions Rates to Lose Reimbursement Dollars   Effective October 2012, hospitals with the highest readmissions rates can lose up to 3% of reimbursements. According to a recent Kaiser Health News and Washington Post article, Medicare soon will release a final rule aimed at cutting hospital readmissions, which make up $26 billion in one decade. The article cites health experts who point out that there is a significant difference between avoidable and unavoidable readmissions of patients, and hospitals that deal with sicker patients may be unfairly penalized. According to the article, Medicare's penalties could be “significant-and widespread.” Nearly 7% of acute-care hospitals – 307 out of 4,498 – register higher-than-expected readmissions rates for heart failure, heart attack or pneumonia, according to Medicare data - read more... Collaborative Case Management   Now Available Online The summer 2011 issue of Collaborative Case Management is now available online in the Member's Only Section of the ACMA website. Articles in this issue include: "ACMA Social Work Fellowship Program Offers a Premiere, In-Depth Educational Experience - Part II of II;" "Investing in Case Management Certification - Part II of II;" "Questions to Consider When Creating a Transfer Agreement;" and "$186,000 Worth of Testing and Numerous Unanswered Questions, All Because No One Bothered to Ask." ACM Certification Application Deadline Reminder   August 15, 2011 The ACM Certification application deadline for the fourth quarter of 2011 is August 15, 2011. Applications and payment must be received by the ACMA National Office by this date in order to take the exam during October, November or December of 2011. For more information on the ACM Certification and to download the application, click here.

Upcoming Events Florida Chapter Conference St. Petersburg, FL - click here Missouri-Illinois Gateway Chapter Conference St. Louis, MO - click here Maryland Chapter Conference Baltimore, MD - click here Western Pennsylvania Chapter Conference Mars, PA - click here Missouri-Kansas Chapter Conference Blue Springs, MO - click here Kentucky-Tennessee Chapter Conference Franklin, TN - click here North Carolina Chapter Conference Asheville, NC - click here Great Lakes Chapter Conference Livonia, MI - click here Virginia Chapter Conference Richmond, VA - click here National Case Management Week click here Wisconsin Chapter Conference Milwaukee, WI ACMA National Conference Denver, CO - click here For more information on ACMA meetings and events visit the online Calendar of Events.

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