19 April 2022 20:02

What is a Medicare pep adjustment?

A partial episode payment (PEP) adjustment is made when a patient elects to transfer to another HHA or is discharged and readmitted to the same HHA during the 60-day episode.

What is a prospective payment system for Medicare patients?

A Prospective Payment System (PPS) is a method of reimbursement in which Medicare payment is made based on a predetermined, fixed amount. The payment amount for a particular service is derived based on the classification system of that service (for example, diagnosis-related groups for inpatient hospital services).

What is a completed episode in home health?

The end of an episode was defined as the last day of home health care following the start date that preceded another 60-day gap in the HHA 40-percent Bill Skeleton file. Treatment plans for every 60-day period following the initial “end” date on HCFA Form-485 are recorded on a series of HCFA Forms-486 for each client.

What does rap mean for Medicare?

For many years, CMS allows agencies to submit a RAP, which means Request for Anticipated Payment. Prior to PDGM implementation in 2020, a RAP was 60% of the anticipated payment over 60 days up front and then the remaining 40% at the final bill.

When was the inpatient prospective payment system implemented?

October 1, 1983

A report containing such a proposal was delivered to Congress in December 1982, and a prospective payment system (PPS) for Medicare inpatient hospital services was legislated in the spring of 1983. Implementation of PPS began on October 1, 1983.

What are the main advantages of a prospective payment system?

One important advantage of Prospective Payment is the fact that code-based reimbursement creates incentives for more accurate coding and billing. PPS results in better information about what payers are purchasing and this information can be used, in turn, for network development, medical management, and contracting.

What is the primary distinction between prospective payment and retrospective payment?

What is the primary distinction between prospective payment and retrospective payment? Prospective payment has the price set in advance. Retrospective payments have the billing completed after services.

What does SOC mean in hospice?

Share of Cost (SOC)

What is a Medicare home health outlier?

Outlier payments – Paying more for the care of the costliest beneficiaries. Additional payments will be made to the 30-day case-mix adjusted period and associated payments for beneficiaries who incur unusually large costs.

What is an outlier in home health?

Outlier payments are made for episodes whose estimated costs exceed a threshold amount for each Home Health Resource Group (HHRG).

What are the disadvantages of a prospective payment system?

Prospective payment plans also come with drawbacks. Because providers only receive fixed rates, some might seek to employ cost-cutting measures to maximize profits while not necessarily keeping their patients’ best interests in mind.

Why did Medicare move to a prospective payment system?

The idea was to encourage hospitals to lower their prices for expensive hospital care. In 2000, CMS changed the reimbursement system for outpatient care at Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) to include a prospective payment system for Medicaid and Medicare.

What are the pros and cons of DRG?

The advantages of the DRG payment system are reflected in the increased efficiency and transparency and reduced average length of stay. The disadvantage of DRG is creating financial incentives toward earlier hospital discharges. Occasionally, such polices are not in full accordance with the clinical benefit priorities.

How does DRG reimbursement work?

Diagnosis-Related Group Reimbursement. Diagnosis-related group reimbursement (DRG) is a reimbursement system for inpatient charges from facilities. This system assigns payment levels to each DRG based on the average cost of treating all TRICARE beneficiaries in a given DRG.

How has DRG changed hospital reimbursement?

The introduction of DRGs shifted payment from a “cost plus profit” structure to a fixed case rate structure. Under a case rate reimbursement, the hospital is not paid more for a patient with a longer length of stay, or with days in higher intensity units, or receiving more services.

Why is DRG important?

The purpose of the DRGs is to relate a hospital’s case mix to the resource demands and associated costs experienced by the hospital.

How is a DRG determined?

Steps for Determining a DRG

Determine the principal diagnosis for the patient’s admission. Determine whether or not there was a surgical procedure. Determine if there were any secondary diagnoses that would be considered comorbidities or could cause complications.

What is an example of a DRG?

The top 10 DRGs overall are: normal newborn, vaginal delivery, heart failure, psychoses, cesarean section, neonate with significant problems, angina pectoris, specific cerebrovascular disorders, pneumonia, and hip/knee replacement. They comprise nearly 30 percent of all hospital discharges.

Does DRG include professional services?

Both APCs and DRGs cover only the hospital fees, and not the professional fees, associated with a hospital outpatient visit or inpatient stay.

What is the difference between DRG and CPT?

​DRG, ICD-10, and CPT are all codes used with Medicare and insurers, but they communicate different things. ICD-10 codes are used to explain the diagnosis, and CPT codes describe procedures that the healthcare provider performs. Both diagnosis and procedure are used to determine DRG.

What is the difference between DRG and MS DRG?

DRG stands for diagnosis-related group. Medicare’s DRG system is called the Medicare severity diagnosis-related group, or MS-DRG, which is used to determine hospital payments under the inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS).