ESCO Expands Insurance Underwriting Partnerships
ESCO has expanded its commercial insurance offerings and underwriting partnerships to provide comprehensive, customized coverage options for hearing healthcare business owners.
Category: Medicare & Insurance
Medicare & Insurance
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Medicare & Insurance
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Know the Facts: Charging Medicaid Patients
It is critical that audiologists and hearing instrument specialists understand regulations for charging for and delivering services or items to patients with Medicaid coverage.
Medicare & Insurance
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Senators Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Expand Medicare Audiology Assistance
The bill would ensure those on Medicare are able to access a full range of hearing and balance healthcare services provided by audiologists.
How to Manage in Managed Care
While provider participation in managed care remains optional, managed care is now an integral part of US healthcare. Hearing care as a supplemental benefit will continue to grow in private and public health plans. Author Carrie Meyer, AuD, says it is critical that audiologists and hearing aid specialists understand the dynamics of managed care and become well informed to make the best decisions for their practices and their patients in this rapidly changing healthcare environment. Part 1 of this 3-part series is a primer on health insurance and managed care.
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Expanding Access to Hearing Care
The World Health Organization (WHO) recently published the ‘World Report on Hearing’ complete with a multi-faceted strategy for increasing access to hearing healthcare. HR interviews Amyn Amlani regarding his opinions on matters such as Medicare and financing options.
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UnitedHealthcare Hearing Introduces Virtual Care Option
The capability, known as Right2You, builds on the home-delivered hearing health care model developed by UnitedHealthcare Hearing, adding a virtual care component that is designed to help reduce the need for in-person appointments for hearing aid adjustments and support.
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Medicare Payments for Hearing Care Procedures: A 14-year Review
This 14-year review of Medicare reimbursement and demographic data by audiology leaders Ian Windmill, PhD, and Barry Freeman, PhD, is designed to help inform budgetary or productivity decisions within hearing care practices and support initiatives related to payments at the state or federal level.
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‘Consolidated Appropriations Act 2021’ Becomes Law
There were several audiology-related provisions included in the Act, which include Medicare payments and billing.
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ASHA Releases ‘2021 Medicare Fee Schedule for Audiologists’
The report includes a 6% decrease in payment for audiology services due to changes to office-based outpatient evaluation and management (E/M) procedure codes that provide payment increases for primary care services.
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Starkey Executives Attended 2020 Medicare Advantage Summit
Starkey President and CEO Brandon Sawalich, Chief Health Officer Archelle Georgiou, MD, and Chief Innovation Officer Dave Fabry all presented information to educate participants about the strong connection between hearing and overall health.
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UnitedHealthCare Launches 2021 Medicare Advantage Plans
UnitedHealthcare announced the launch of its 2021 Medicare Advantage and prescription drug plans, showcasing “affordable coverage, exclusive benefits, expanded plan access, and a simplified member experience that connects people to quality care— when and where they need it.”
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AMA Releases 2021 CPT Code Set
These foundational modifications were designed to make E/M office visit coding and documentation simpler and more flexible, according to the AMA. The changes to CPT codes ranging from 99201-99215 are proposed for adoption by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on January 1, 2021.
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Individuals with Hearing Loss Allege Health Plan Discriminated Against Them in Denial of Coverage
A federal appeals court who heard the case determined that “insurance companies cannot discriminate against disabled people by broadly denying coverage for the types of treatment they need,” according to the article, but said the plaintiffs may not be entitled to coverage because “not everyone with a hearing loss is disabled.”
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Amplifon Hearing Health Care Earns NCQA Accreditation
In awarding its credentialing accreditation, NCQA conducted a review process of Amplifon that focused on several key areas, including internal quality improvement, appropriateness of agreements and collaboration with clients, peer review process, credential verification, and monitoring of sanctions and complaints.
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NationsBenefits Introduces Remote Telehealth Services
The company has developed digital technologies that allow access to hearing tests and related care from any location, including their homes, local community, and mobile devices when on the go.
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Warren and Rice Advocate to Attach Key Audiology Bill to COVID-19 Relief Packages
A bipartisan group is urging fellow Members of Congress to include provisions of the Medicare Audiologist Access and Services Act (H.R. 4056/S. 2446) in upcoming COVID-19 packages. The bill would include eliminating physician order requirements, updating the Medicare statute to classify audiologists as (LLP) practitioners, and authorizing Medicare to reimburse audiologists for the Medicare-covered medically necessary treatment services.
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NationsBenefits Partners with ADT on PERS for Medicare Advantage & Part D Plans
The company’s expansion is said to be largely tied to updated guidance and increased flexibility provided by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), which results in MA plans offering more supplemental benefits for 2020 and beyond.
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CMS Issues Recommendations to Re-Open Health Care Systems in Areas with Low Incidence of COVID-19
The new recommendations are specifically targeted to communities that are in Phase 1 of the Guidelines for Opening Up America Again with low incidence or relatively low and stable incidence of COVID-19 cases.
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