MCG – Free White Paper: Prescribing Opioids: Re-Centering the Pendulum
A new white paper from MCG Health discusses the current state of the opioid crisis as well as strategies that have been used to limit inappropriate use of opioids, including the publication and subsequent backlash toward opioid prescribing guidelines. Download it here.

MCG – Webinar Announcement: Medicare’s Inpatient-Only List: Recent Changes, Common Myths, and Persistent Dilemmas
MCG Health is offering a free webinar on the Medicare Inpatient-Only (IPO) List. Learning objectives for viewers include:

• How to understand the ramifications of a procedure being on or absent from the list
• Comprehend an inpatient vs. outpatient (ambulatory) procedure from various vantage points.

Register for the webinar here.

MCG – PR Announcement: MCG Health Releases 23rd Edition of Industry-Leading Care Guidelines
MCG Health, part of the Hearst Health network and a leading provider of informed care strategies, announces the release of its 23rd edition of evidence-based care guidelines. Many new enhancements to its clinical content were developed in response to the healthcare industry’s need for guidance specific to pediatric populations, care coordination, and the national opioid crisis. Learn more here.

Epstein Becker Green – CMS Announces End to Home Health Agency Provider Enrollment Moratoria 
CMS recently announced an end to its long-standing home health agency (“HHA”) provider enrollment moratoria effective January 30, 2019. This is undoubtedly welcome news to the HHA industry in Florida, Illinois, Michigan, and Texas, however uncertainty remains with regard to the finality of this agency action and whether any moratoria are likely to be reimposed in the near term. As a result, HHA providers desiring growth should take action soon to initiate a new enrollment or expand an HHA’s footprint in a state through enrollment of a branch location. Click here to read more.

UnitedHealth Group – UHG Supports Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants
Primary care is the foundation of the U.S. health care system, and access remains a challenge. Nurse practitioners (NPs), physician assistants (PAs), and certified nurse midwives (CNMs) represent a growing part of the nation’s primary care workforce. Evidence suggests that primary care improves quality, outcomes and patient experience, while coordinating care, containing costs, reducing unnecessary utilization and promoting efficient use of health care resources. UnitedHealth Group views nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs) as key to addressing the nation’s primary care shortage. “Allowing NPs to practice to the full extent of their education and training represents a meaningful, timely opportunity to increase primary care in the United States”. You may download the full brief and additional papers here.