Current Report Articles
Federal and National News

News (July 19, 2024) – CMS Issues Guidance on Medicaid Provider Directory Standards
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued guidance to implement enhanced provider directory standards for state Medicaid programs and the managed care plans with which they contract. State Health Official Letter #24-003 outlines the new standards for content and timeliness that states and managed care plans must meet by July 1, 2025, as required by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 and the Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program Managed Care Access, Finance and Quality rule issued earlier this year.

CMS Releases Proposed CY 2025 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Payment and Policy Updates
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released the proposed Medicare Physician Fee Schedule payment and policy updates for the calendar year 2025. CMS proposes a conversion factor decrease from the current CY 2024 of $33.29 to $32.36, or 2.8 percent. CMS also estimates the "average payment rates under the PFS are proposed to be reduced by 2.93 percent in CY 2025 compared to the average amount these services are paid for most of CY 2024."

The rule proposes changes to the Medicare Shared Savings Program, strengthens primary care by driving quality improvement, establishes new coding and payment for caregiver training for direct care, requests information about newly implemented Community Health Integration services and proposes broadening the applicability of the transfer of care modifiers for global surgical packages.

CMS will accept comments through Monday, Sept. 9.

MLN Connects Provider eNews Available
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued the following updates to MLN Connects Provider eNews: