Today, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) provides an at-a-glance summary of news from around the agency.
CMS Posts FAQs Addressing BD BACTEC™ Blood Culture Bottle Shortage
August 29: As part of its responsibility to ensure quality in clinical laboratory testing, CMS posted FAQs to address a supply issue disrupting the availability of some blood culture media bottles, specifically, related to the BD BACTEC™ Blood Culture Bottle Shortage. The FAQs address the three main stakeholder concerns regarding the blood culture shortage, including CMS awareness, the use of expired blood culture bottles, and the verification of glass blood culture bottles. Additional information can be found in the statement issued by HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra here.
CMS Issues Request for Information on Potential Consolidation of Some Medicare Administrative Contractor Jurisdictions
September 4: CMS issued a Request for Information to obtain feedback from industry and the public about the potential consolidation of four Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) jurisdictions into two jurisdictions, as well as to obtain input on extending MAC contracts to 10 years. MACs are private health care insurers that have been awarded a geographic jurisdiction to process Medicare Part A and Part B medical claims or Durable Medical Equipment claims for people with Traditional Medicare. Information on the role of MACs can be found here .
Other Recent Releases:
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CMS, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, serves the public as a trusted partner and steward, dedicated to advancing health equity, expanding coverage, and improving health outcomes. The agency protects public health by administering the Medicare program and working in partnership with state governments to administer Medicaid, CHIP, and the Health Insurance Marketplace.
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