The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) said the national Medicare Fee-for-Service (FFS) improper payment rate for 2025 is 6.55 percent, or $28.83 billion in improper payments.

The data is contained in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 HHS Agency Financial Report, Section 3, Payment Integrity Report, which was first reported in a blog by Dan Ciolek, associate vice president of therapy advocacy, American Health Care Association.

See https://tinyurl.com/bdf3arsu for a fact sheet on the issue, and go to https://tinyurl.com/4w2bm3d3 for the full HHS report.

Ciolek said the projected improper payment amount for skilled nursing facility (SNF) services during the 2025 report period recorded in the CMS data was $4.3 billion, resulting in an improper payment rate of 11.8 percent (down from 17.2 percent in FY 2024). SNFs includes all services with a provider type of SNF, including SNF inpatient, SNF outpatient, and SNF inpatient Part B.

See https://tinyurl.com/45v9r9cw for the tables showing this information.

Separately, CMS has updated the MLN Booklet titled “Medicare Billing: CMS 1450 & 8371” by adding fresh guidance on COVID-19 vaccinations to its Roster Billing options.

See the guidance at https://tinyurl.com/ra2mbtee.

Switching federal agencies, the Depts. of Homeland Security and Labor have announced a temporary rule to increase the FY 2026 Numerical Limitation for the H-2B Temporary Nonagricultural Worker Program.

The temporary rule allows the two department heads to issue up to 64,716 visas for FY 26. Supplemental visas will be available only to U.S. businesses that are suffering or will suffer impending irreparable harm. Visas can be used for temporary non-professional healthcare support roles such as nurse aides, personal care aides, and home health aides. 

See the temporary rule at https://tinyurl.com/x2xtx3vx.

Comments or questions? Contact Patrick Connole at pconnole@parkplacelive.com.