News

As of December 24, 2025, CMS has withdrawn (not delayed) the Local Coverage Determinations (LCDs) for skin substitute grafts that were scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2026. Because these unified policies have been eliminated, there is currently no revised version of that specific LCD scheduled for 2026.

FDA Recalls December 16 - 22, 2025

HHS’ Office for Civil Rights Settles HIPAA Right of Access Investigation with Concentra, Inc.

“Diabetic pt came in for “At Risk,” Routine foot care. This patient is coded with E11.51 Type 2 diabetes mellitus with diabetic peripheral angiopathy without gangrene.

FDA Recalls December 09 - 16, 2025

In 2002, an OIG report found that Medicare inappropriately reimbursed podiatrists for Routine Foot Care Services that were found to be medically unnecessary and insufficiently documented. Since the OIG had not reviewed podiatry services since that report back in 2002, an audit was conducted to determine whether these compliance issues continued to exist during the subsequent audit period, 2019 and 2020. The audit examined whether podiatrists’ claims for Routine Foot Care Services related to a covered systemic condition complied with Medicare’s requirements. Of the 100 claims that were sampled, 49 claims for Routine Foot Care Services related to a covered systemic condition did not comply with Medicare requirements. As a result of the audit, the OIG opined that CMS’s oversight may not have been sufficient to prevent improper payments. The OIG estimated that of the $18.2 million paid by Medicare during the audit period, approximately $4.4 million did not comply with Medicare’s requirements.