Government Affairs Committee – Member Articles


Unauthorized Plan Switching and Enrollment in ACA Health Plans
June 2025 | Joanna Kipnes, MD, MS, FHM

The Narrow Network Conundrum: Admit or Transfer and the No Surprises Act”
May 2025 | Madisyn Schmitz, JD, MHSA, RHIA, CPC & Richelle Marting, JD, MHSA, RHIA, CPC

What’s in a Name? Health Plan Physicians Deny Care Cloaked by Anonymity
March 2025 | Madisyn Schmitz, JD, MHSA, RHIA, CPC & Richelle Marting JD, MHSA, RHIA, CPC, CEMC, CPMA

Physician Advisors: Advocating for Medicaid Reform at the State Level
March 2025 | Erin Boyd MD, MBA, ACPA-C & Richelle Marting JD, MHSA, RHIA, CPC, CEMC, CPMA

Satisfaction Guaranteed: Turn Frustration into Action with Medicare’s Complaint Process
December 2024 | Richelle Marting JD, MHSA,RHIA,CPC,CEMC,CPMA

MA Plans and 4201-F
December 2024 | Bernie Emkes, MD

The Critical Role of Prior Authorizations in Infusion Therapy
December 2024 | Carolyn Dutton, MD, FACP, FACEP, ACPA-C

Hospital to Health Plan and Back Again – A Physician Advisor’s Perspective
December 2024 | Anita Patel, MD

MA and the Two-Midnight Rule: What’s Wrong with this Picture?
January 2024 | Ronald Hirsch, MD, FACP, CHRI

2024 Deductibles, Coinsurances and Copayments – Know the Numbers
January 2024 | Ronald Hirsch, MD, FACP, CHRI

LTACHs and MA Plans – Understanding Why The Rules Are Different
January 2024 | Ronald Hirsch, MD, FACP, CHRI

CMS Proposes New Appeal Process – Complexity is High, but Impact is Low
January 2024 | Ronald Hirsch, MD, FACP, CHRI

The Evolving Medicare Advantage Plan Landscape: Hospital Preparedness for CMS-4201-F
December 2023 | Erin Boyd, MD

Adversaries and Partners – Can a Payer be Both?
December 2023 | Ronald Hirsch, MD, FACP, CHRI

Preoperative Testing: Dogma or Dilemma
November 2023 | Ronald Hirsch, MD, FACP, CHRI

Saving Lives by Discharging Patients – and a QIO Skirting the Rules
November 2023 | Ronald Hirsch, MD, FACP, CHRI

United Healthcare’s Medicare Advantage and the Two-Midnight Rule
November 2023 | Ronald Hirsch, MD, FACP, CHRI

NCDs, LCDs, Discharge Planning, and Home Care – All in One Article
November 2023 | Ronald Hirsch, MD, FACP, CHRI

Time to Treat Your Family and Friends
November 2023 | Drew Updike MD, MPH

CMS Says Post-Acute Care Choice Only Goes So Far
October 2023 | Ronald Hirsch, MD, FACP, CHRI

More DRG Reductions Coming? Opening an Artery Creates an Opening for Auditors
October 2023 | Ronald Hirsch, MD, FACP, CHRI

The Crux of Criteria: Adhering to Standards of Care
October 2023 | Ronald Hirsch, MD, FACP, CHRI

Transfers and Medicare Payment – Who Knew it Could Be So Complex?
October 2023 | Ronald Hirsch, MD, FACP, CHRI

Hospice Conundrums (Part 1): Demystifying GIP, Ensuring Appropriate Use, Documentation, and Payment
October 2023 | Erin Boyd, MD

I Want a SNF Please…
October 2023 | Dr Maria Johar, MD

Provider Access to CMS Appeals in Medicare Advantage
September 2023 | Edward Hu, MD

Medicare Advantage and the Two-Midnight Rule
September 2023 | Ronald Hirsch, MD, FACP, CHRI

CMS Tells Livanta to Reassess Short-Stay Memo
September 2023 | Ronald Hirsch, MD, FACP, CHRI

Discrimination Against the Disabled? Not on CMS’s Watch
September 2023 | Ronald Hirsch, MD, FACP, CHRI

Why Are Patient Appeals More Common Than Expected?
September 2023 | Ronald Hirsch, MD, FACP, CHRI

Medicare Two-Midnight Rule Exceptions (Short Stays)
August 2023 | Deborah Greer, MD

$3.50 or $10,800,000? How Much Does a Service Actually Cost?
August 2023 | Ronald Hirsch, MD, FACP, CHRI

CMS Sends Up Warning Flare on Discharge Planning
August 2023 | Ronald Hirsch, MD, FACP, CHRI

Livanta Memo Highlight of Healthcare News Week
August 2023 | Ronald Hirsch, MD, FACP, CHRI

Important: Livanta Confirms Stance on One Day Inpatient Admissions
August 2023 | Ronald Hirsch, MD, FACP, CHRI

Malnutrition and Inpatient Admission – Two Updates
August 2023 | Ronald Hirsch, MD, FACP, CHRI

MOON Review a Week after the New Moon – on Monday
July 2023 | Ronald Hirsch, MD, FACP, CHRI

Refusing to Tolerate Patient Violence
July 2023 | Ronald Hirsch, MD, FACP, CHRI

Plenty of Healthcare News to Cover as Summer Heats Up
July 2023 | Ronald Hirsch, MD, FACP, CHRI

The Right Observation Rate – I Have the Numbers, Sort of…
July 2023 | Ronald Hirsch, MD, FACP, CHRI

Readmissions: Understanding the Complex Finances and the Hidden Nuances
June 2023 | Ronald Hirsch, MD, FACP, CHRI

Case Managers Don’t Demand Discharges – And They Also Face Moral Distress While Working to Solve the Problem
June 2023 | Ronald Hirsch, MD, FACP, CHRI

All Healed Up with Nowhere to Go
June 2023 | Ronald Hirsch, MD, FACP, CHRI

Understanding the PEPPER: “My Patients are Sicker than Everyone Else’s Patients”
June 2023 | Ronald Hirsch, MD, FACP, CHRI

Inpatient Rehabilitation Admissions Go Under the Microscope…in One State
May 2023 | Ronald Hirsch, MD, FACP, CHRI

Breaking News: Medicare Advantage Must Follow Two-Midnight Rule
April 2023 | Ronald Hirsch, MD, FACP, CHRI

Providers - Now is the Time to Change How We Document!
March 2023 | Andrew B. Maigur MD, CHCQM PHYADV, CMPC

Getting on Board - the Problem with ED Boarding
February 2023 | Ronald Hirsch, MD, FACP, CHRI

An Observation about Observation Rates (and Other Notes)
November 2022 | Ronald Hirsch, MD, FACP, CHRI

Status, Ethics, and Decision-Making Capacity – All in One Case 
October 2022 | Bernard Emkes, MD

QIO Short Stay Audits and the CMS IPO List 
August 2022 | Ritu Prasad, MD

Imagine
June 2022 | Deb K. Banerjee, MD, FACP, MBA/HCM 

Developing an Effective IP Hip and Knee Joint Program
May 2022 | Bernard J. Emkes, MD 

Condition Code 44 and its Compliant Execution
April 2022 | Maria Johar, MD

Yes, You Can Admit Psychiatric Cases as Inpatients 
March 2022 | Carolyn Dutton, MD, FACP, FACEP

Medicare Advantage Star Ratings... What Are They? Why Should We Care? What Can We Do About Them?
February 2022 | Nicholas Libertin III, MD

Cancelled Surgery – Change the Status? 
Ronald Hirsch, MD, FACP, CHRI

Insist on Covered or Not Covered
December 2021 | Bernie Emkes, MD 

Inpatient Only Procedures (IOP) Now Procedures of Interest (POI) in 2021
June 2021 | Maria Johar, MD

Court: Patients Must Be Able to Appeal Status Change from Inpatient to Observation
January 2021 | Nina Youngstrom