Feds Move to Improve Health Insurance Appeals

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration took the first step Thursday to guarantee that consumers can appeal to a neutral referee if their health insurance company denies a medical claim.
However, because health insurance and President Barack Obama’s overhaul law are both complicated, the new federal safeguards will [...]

Obama Administration Rolls Out New Insurance Appeals Rules

Want to appeal an insurance company’s denial of services or coverage? You now have the right to present your case for independent, outside-of-your-insurance-company review, no matter what state you’re in. The Obama administration today announced the new regulations spelling out the appeals guarantee. Here’s the administration’s fact sheet on the new regs.
As Kaiser Health News [...]

Standards Issued for Electronic Health Records

WASHINGTON — The federal government issued new rules Tuesday that will reward doctors and hospitals for the “meaningful use” of electronic health records, a top goal of President Obama.
The rules significantly scale back proposed requirements that the health care industry had denounced as unrealistic.
The Department of Health and Human Services said doctors and hospitals could [...]

EHR Rules Loosen Requirements; Multi-Campus Hospitals Get One Payment

HHS made it easier for hospitals and doctors to receive incentive payments for using electronic health records by reducing the number of requirements they must meet to be considered “meaningful users” of EHR in a pair of rules released today. But hospital are disappointed that CMS will give a single base payment to hospitals with [...]