AHCA establishes a clearinghouse for providers plagued by audits.President Obama calls for $100 million for brain research

The American Health Care Association (AHCA) has set up a clearinghouse for health care providers worried they are on the wrong side of the Obama administration’s recovery audit program, the group said Tuesday. told its members.

Federal law requires the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to hire a contractor to audit all medical claims over $3,700. For providers in 11 states (California, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Missouri, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas), these audits occur before payments are released.

“Called ‘manual medical review,’ and mandated by Congress by the end of 2013, CMS says it wants to know immediately about any flaws in the review process,” AHCA said. “Accordingly, AHCA takes steps to bring process-related provider issues to CMS on an ongoing basis through the AHCA Manual Review Clearinghouse at manualreview@ahca.org. If so, ask the provider to submit the issue to the clearinghouse at manualreview@ahca.org.”

“On the positive side of the manual review process,” AHCA added. “CMS needs RA. [Recovery Auditors] I need to complete the prepayment review within 10 days and specifically want to hold it within this period. “

In other news on Tuesday, the Obama administration announced it is seeking about $100 million to fund brain research, including research into Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. Funds will go to various government programs, including defense agencies, to map the human brain.

This program is aptly called “BRAIN”. It stands for brain research that advances innovative neurotechnology, and it quickly earned accolades from the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America.

“The BRAIN Initiative is an exciting development and a potential game-changer in unlocking the mysteries of Alzheimer’s disease,” said Foundation Acting Chief Executive Officer Carol Steinberg in an official statement released Tuesday. Such projects have the potential to provide deeper insight into concepts such as cognitive reserve, and ultimately enable the treatment or even prevention of Alzheimer’s disease, especially in the face of flat research funding for Alzheimer’s disease. Given the threat of this devastating disease overwhelming more and more Americans, what both scientists and their families need right now is just the blow.”