iqtsupport, Author at DeBrunner & Associates

Federal Health Policy Update for Thursday, February 10

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:45 p.m. on Thursday, February 10. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Provider Relief Fund The reconsideration window for Provider Relief Fund Phase 4 payments and American Rescue Plan rural hospital payments is now open for providers to request reconsideration of their payments. This process is intended only for providers that believe their payment was not calculated correctly. They will not have an opportunity to submit an application if they missed a deadline; will not be able to revise or [...]

iqtsupport2022-02-10T16:46:29-05:00February 10, 2022|Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Coronavirus, COVID-19, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicare regulations|

Medicare Sending Mixed Signals on Hospital Quality

764 hospitals were recently penalized by Medicare for having too many patient infections and potentially avoidable medical complications. As a result, they will see their Medicare payments reduced one percent over the next year – a standard penalty under the agency’s Hospital-Acquired Condition Reduction Program. Thirty-eight of those hospitals cited for this problem, however, were awarded five stars – the highest rating – on Medicare’s Care Compare web site. Another 134 penalized hospitals received four-star ratings. Why the seeming contradiction? Kaiser Health News explores this question, and offers some answers, in the article “Health Care Paradox: Medicare Penalizes Dozens of [...]

iqtsupport2022-02-08T11:53:31-05:00February 8, 2022|hospitals, Medicare reimbursement policy|

Millions Could Lose Medicaid Coverage When COVID Crisis Ends

As many as 15 million Americans may be at risk of losing their health insurance when the COVID-19 public health emergency officially ends, according to a new Urban Institute report. When the COVID crisis began and people began losing their jobs – and with them, their health insurance – Congress increased funding to states for Medicaid under the condition that states not perform eligibility reviews on their Medicaid rolls under after the crisis ends. Since then, Medicaid enrollment has risen nearly 20 percent, and now, that 20 percent – and more – may be in jeopardy of losing their Medicaid [...]

iqtsupport2022-02-07T06:00:26-05:00February 7, 2022|COVID-19, Medicaid|

Federal Health Policy Update for Thursday, February 3

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, February 3. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Provider Relief Fund The reconsideration window for Provider Relief Fund Phase 4 payments and American Rescue Plan rural hospital payments is now open for providers to request reconsideration of their payments. This process is intended only for providers that believe their payment was not calculated correctly. They will not have an opportunity to submit an application if they missed a deadline; will not be able to revise or [...]

iqtsupport2022-02-03T17:46:52-05:00February 3, 2022|Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMMI, Coronavirus, COVID-19, health equity, hospitals, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC, Telehealth|

Federal Health Policy Update for Friday, January 28

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 3:45 p.m. on Friday, January 28. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Provider Relief Fund HHS and its Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announced that this week they made more than $2 billion in Provider Relief Fund Phase 4 General Distribution payments to more than 7,600 providers. Nearly $11 billion of the $17 billion allocated for Provider Relief Fund Phase 4 payments have now been distributed. Phase 4 payments have an increased focus on equity, including reimbursing a higher [...]

iqtsupport2022-01-28T17:26:51-05:00January 28, 2022|Accountable Care Organization, ACO, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Congress, Coronavirus, COVID-19, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC|

Federal Health Policy Update for Monday, January 24

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 3:00 p.m. on Monday, January 24. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Provider Relief Fund The reconsideration window for Provider Relief Fund Phase 4 payments and American Rescue Plan rural hospital payments will open on February 1, 2022, at which time providers will be able to request reconsideration of their payments. This process is intended only for providers that believe their payment was not calculated correctly. They will not have an opportunity to submit an application if they missed a [...]

iqtsupport2022-01-24T18:02:44-05:00January 24, 2022|Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Coronavirus, COVID-19, MACPAC, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission|

Federal Health Policy Update for Wednesday, January 19

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:45 p.m. on Wednesday, January 19. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Public Health Emergency Declaration Renewed HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra has renewed his department’s declaration of a public health emergency in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The renewal took effect on January 16 and extends the declaration for three months. Find the declaration here. Free COVID-19 Tests and Masks Upon request, the federal government is now providing four free monthly home COVID-19 tests to every household. Order those tests [...]

iqtsupport2022-01-19T17:47:33-05:00January 19, 2022|Affordable Care Act, Alternative payment models, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMMI, Coronavirus, COVID-19, MACPAC, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy|

AHRQ Publishes Health Equity Report

The federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has published its annual report on health care disparities. The report, “National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report,” is mandated by Congress “… to provide a comprehensive overview of the quality of healthcare received by the general U.S. population and disparities in care experienced by different racial and socioeconomic groups.” Find the report here.

iqtsupport2022-01-19T06:00:38-05:00January 19, 2022|health equity|

Federal Health Policy Update for Thursday, January 13

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:45 p.m. on Thursday, January 13. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Supreme Court The Supreme Court has ruled that the administration’s vaccine mandate for health care workers will remain in effect while the mandate is challenged in the lower courts. See the court’s ruling here. White House The White House has announced new efforts to protect children from COVID-19 and keep schools open. The new measures include: Sending more point-of-care and lab-based PCR tests to schools. Deploying federal surge [...]

iqtsupport2022-01-13T17:31:49-05:00January 13, 2022|Alternative payment models, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMMI, Coronavirus, COVID-19, hospitals, MACPAC, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC, post-acute care|

Federal Health Policy Update for Tuesday, January 11

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, January 11. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Provider Relief Fund HHS has updated its FAQ for reconsideration requests involving Phase 4 and rural hospital payments. Find the updated FAQ here. Department of Health and Human Services COVID-19 HHS announced that beginning January 15, individuals with private health insurance coverage who purchase an over-the-counter COVID-19 diagnostic test authorized, cleared, or approved by the FDA will be able to have those test costs covered by their insurance. [...]

iqtsupport2022-01-11T17:32:41-05:00January 11, 2022|Affordable Care Act, Alternative payment models, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMMI, Coronavirus, COVID-19, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicare, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC|

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