July 2024

Federal Health Policy Update for July 18

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for July 13-18.  Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services CMS has issued a notice alerting certain clinicians who are qualifying alternative payment model (APM) participants and who have earned an APM incentive payment that the agency does not have the current contact information it needs to disburse their payments.  The notice provides information to qualified participants on how to update their Medicare billing information so that CMS can disburse these payments.  Learn more from this CMS [...]

MedPAC Posts Annual Data Book

The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission has published its annual data book Health Care Spending and the Medicare Program.  The book provides information on national health care and Medicare spending, Medicare beneficiary demographics, and data on dual-eligible beneficiaries, quality of care in the Medicare program, and Medicare beneficiary and other payer liabilities. MedPAC presents its data in 11 sections: national health care and Medicare spending Medicare beneficiary demographics Medicare beneficiary and other payer financial liability dual-eligible beneficiaries alternative payer models acute inpatient services – general acute-care hospitals and inpatient psychiatric hospitals ambulatory care – physicians and other health professionals, hospital outpatient [...]

Federal Health Policy Update for July 12

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for July 6-12.  Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. The Courts A federal court has blocked implementation of the FTC’s rule banning non-compete clauses in most employment contracts, a regulatory development with potentially significant implications for the health care industry.  The temporary ban affects only the five plaintiffs in the case and it is not yet clear whether the ruling will have broader implications in the wake of the recent reversal of the Chevron decision that could potentially curtail the rulemaking authority [...]

Federal Health Policy Update for July 5

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for June 29-July 5.  Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Department of Health and Human Services Because it has found that Medicare Advantage organizations sometimes deny prior authorization requests for post-acute care after a qualifying hospital stay even though the requests met Medicare coverage rules, HHS’s Office of the Inspector General will examine selected Medicare Advantage plans’ processes for reviewing prior authorization requests for post-acute care in long-term acute-care hospitals, inpatient rehabilitation facilities, and skilled nursing facilities. It also will review the [...]

The “Other” Supreme Court Decision

While much attention has focused on recent Supreme Court decisions involving reproductive care rights and presidential immunity, a less-noticed case has potential implications for the health care industry. In the case of Securities and Exchange Commission v. Jarkesy, the Supreme Court ruled last week that the SEC’s use of administrative proceedings to levy a fine against a hedge fund manager for misleading investors deprived that manager of the right to a court trial.  While the immediate ruling addresses only the SEC case, the underlying rationale has implications across the federal government – including health care agencies. Currently, the Department of [...]

2024-07-03T16:18:15-04:00July 5, 2024|Uncategorized|

Court’s Chevron Decision to Affect Health Care

A Supreme Court decision last week could have a profound effect on the regulation of many aspects of the health care industry. The Chevron decision, issued by the court in 1984, called for courts to defer to federal agency interpretation of ambiguous statutes if they found those interpretations to be reasonable.  The latest Supreme Court ruling, however, overturns that approach, calling for the courts to act independently when evaluating the appropriateness of agency interpretations and the regulations federal agencies implement in support of those interpretations. The Washington Post explains that Legal experts and health officials expect a gusher of litigation [...]

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