Go ahead and admit it. You’d secretly like to be a superhero. Normal human by day but invincible crimefighter by night. In fact, go ahead and throw in a red cape for good measure. While few of us can approach the capabilities of the Caped Crusader or the Dynamic Duo, all of us can do […]
You just got the bad news. The mechanic pulls you aside and informs you that your vintage VW Karmann Ghia is going to need a major overhaul—rods, rings, bearings, the works. As a treasured possession and family heirloom, there’s only one thing to do: you bite the bullet and pony up the cash. Sometimes, things […]
It happens every now and then. You’re moving along at a pretty good clip, enjoying the scenery and the thrill of the ride. Then, all of a sudden, you’re forced to slam on the brakes to avoid a family of ducks waddling across the road. Without any kind of warning, you find yourself at a […]
On July 10, 2024, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released its 2025 Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) proposed rule (PR) relative to hospital outpatient services. The following will act to summarize the key elements of the PR. General OPPS Payment The OPPS payment rates for hospitals that meet the applicable quality reporting […]
When in doubt, defer to the experts. That seems reasonable—until you realize that experts often disagree with each other. So, then what do you do? Where possible and if retrievable, go to the original source. And that’s exactly what the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) decided in a game-changing ruling late last month. In a six-to-three […]
An ancient account tells of a single man who was pitted against an entire community, including its rulers and a throng of thousands. But when push came to shove, it was the solitary underdog who prevailed. How did he accomplish such a feat? He undermined the pillars on which the entire edifice was built. Pushing […]
It was called the Enigma machine. During WWII, it was Germany’s fail-safe encryption device that would secure all communications between its fleet of U-boats and the naval high command. A coded message would go out and be received. The message could only be deciphered using the Enigma. If the allies could only get their hands […]
Perfection is a nearly impossible standard, a practically unreachable goal. No one earned a perfect score in the modern Olympics era until Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci came along in 1976 with her peerless performance on the uneven bars—10.0. In medical terms, a “clean bill of health” may be given out fairly routinely, but that doesn’t […]
Over the last two weeks, we have presented our readers a summary of provisions found in the FY 2025 Medicare Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) proposed rule. Last week, we introduced some of the quality programs. Today’s article takes a look at additional reporting programs that hospital administrators will need to consider. Hospital Readmissions Reduction […]
