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The personal information of 612,000 Medicare beneficiaries were accessed in a sweeping data breach that affected what could be hundreds of organizations, including the government contractor, Maximus Federal Services. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced in a press release Friday that it is notifying people affected by the data breach, which could have affected information including beneficiaries, names, Social Security numbers, medical histories, diagnoses and other personal details. (Fortinsky, 7/31)

Lobbying groups representing different camps of the healthcare industry have come together to urge the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Service (CMS) to reconsider “conflicting regulatory proposals” that require different electronic standards for electronic data exchanges during prior authorization. (Muoio, 7/31)

Martin’s Point Health Care Inc. will pay nearly $22.5 million to resolve allegations of submitting inaccurate codes for Medicare Advantage Plan enrollees to increase Medicare reimbursements, federal prosecutors said Monday. The U.S. attorney’s office in Maine confirmed it was the largest Medicare fraud settlement in state history. A Martin’s Point representative didn’t immediately return a phone call seeking comment on Monday. The company was accused of submitting the inaccurate diagnosis codes for Medicare Advantage Plan enrollees in Maine and New Hampshire between 2016 and 2019. (7/31)

Bon Secours Mercy Health and insurance company Anthem/Blue Cross Blue Shield didn’t reach an agreement on reimbursement rates by their deadline Monday, leaving around 6,000 Hampton Roads residents who use Medicare out of network as of Tuesday. This means that most people who have an Anthem/BCBS-managed Medicare plan and use Bon Secours Mercy Health medical services will need to find new providers or pay out of pocket. (Dix, 7/31)