iqtsupport, Author at DeBrunner & Associates

Health Policy Update for Friday, April 16

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:45 p.m. on Friday, April 16. The White House COVID-19 The White House announced $1.7 billion in new federal spending from the American Rescue Plan to help states and other jurisdictions improve their detection, monitoring, and mitigation of COVID-19 variants. This $1.7 billion includes $1 billion to expand genomic sequencing; $400 million to support innovation initiatives, including the launch of new innovative Centers of Excellence in Genomic Epidemiology; and $300 million to build and support a National Bioinformatics Infrastructure.The first pool of funding will be distributed [...]

iqtsupport2021-04-17T10:18:11-04:00April 17, 2021|Coronavirus, COVID-19|

Medicaid Coverage “Cliff” Poses Threat to Low-Income Medicare Beneficiaries

Nearly one-third of Medicare beneficiaries do not meet the criteria for Medicaid eligibility but have so little income that they are unlikely to be able to afford their share of their Medicare costs, such as co-pays and deductibles. This is known as the “Medicaid coverage cliff,” and Becker’s Hospital Review, drawing from a recent study published in the journal Health Affairs, takes a brief look at what the Medicaid cliff is and how it may affect the well-being of those affected by this cliff. Learn more in the Becker’s Hospital Review article “5 things to know about the Medicaid coverage [...]

iqtsupport2021-04-16T06:00:43-04:00April 16, 2021|Medicaid, Medicare|

Federal Health Policy Update for Wednesday, April 14

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:45 p.m. on Wednesday, April 14. Temporary Halt to Use of the Johnson & Johnson Janssen Vaccine The White House held a press briefing on Tuesday, April 13 during which the White House press secretary, its COVID-19 response coordinator, and Dr. Anthony Fauci discussed the decision to halt administration of the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) vaccine until its safety can be further examined. Learn more from a transcript of that briefing. Representatives of the FDA and CDC briefed the news media on the situation involving the [...]

iqtsupport2021-04-14T17:11:09-04:00April 14, 2021|Coronavirus, COVID-19, Medicaid, Medicare|

MACPAC Meets

The Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission met for two days last week in Washington, D.C. The following is MACPAC’s own summary of the sessions. MACPAC kicked off its April meeting with a review of a draft chapter for the June 2021 report to Congress and recommendations on addressing high-cost specialty drugs. Since 2017, the Commission has been working to identify potential models that could help states address the challenges of high prices. The presentation focused on drugs that have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under the accelerated approval pathway. Such approvals are based [...]

iqtsupport2021-04-14T06:00:46-04:00April 14, 2021|MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid regulations|

Health Policy Update for Monday, April 12

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:30 p.m. on Monday, April 12. The White House COVID-19 The White House has posted a transcript of the April 12 press briefing provided by its COVID-19 response team and public health officials. Health Policy and Budget News The Biden administration has released its proposed FY 2022 discretionary budget, which addresses, among other things, many aspects of health care policy. Find the news release announcing the proposed budget here and the budget document itself here. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services COVID-19 CMS has updated its [...]

iqtsupport2021-04-12T17:29:32-04:00April 12, 2021|Coronavirus, COVID-19, MACPAC|

Study of Cardiac Telehealth Yields Interesting Results

Increased use of telehealth among cardiac patients as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic has produced some interesting results. According to a study published by JAMA Open Network, …[cardiology] patients using COVID-era remote visits were more likely to be Asian, Black, or Hispanic individuals, have private insurance, and have cardiovascular comorbidities. Compared with pre-COVID in-person visits, clinicians during COVID-era video and telephone visits had a significantly lower odds of ordering any medication as well as most tests. The use of telehealth has increased significantly since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and the introduction of temporary Medicare regulations that encourage [...]

iqtsupport2021-04-12T06:00:02-04:00April 12, 2021|Medicare, Telehealth|

Health Policy Update for Thursday, April 8

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:45 p.m. on Thursday, April 8. Provider Relief Fund The Provider Relief Fund web page has been updated to announce a webinar next Tuesday, April 13 about the HRSA COVID-19 uninsured program under which participating providers are reimbursed at Medicare rates for testing, treating, and administering COVID-19 vaccines to uninsured individuals. Go here for further information (in the shaded box labeled “update”). Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services COVID-19 CMS has added 24 new audiology and speech language pathology services to its list of telehealth services [...]

iqtsupport2021-04-08T17:26:05-04:00April 8, 2021|Coronavirus, COVID-19, Medicare post-acute care, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy|

Health Policy Update for Wednesday, April 7

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:45 p.m. on Wednesday, April 7. The White House Health Policy News President Biden’s first budget proposal is expected to be released this Friday, April 9. It could have important policy implications for health care providers of all types. COVID-19 The White House has posted a transcript of the April 7 press briefing provided by its COVID-19 response team and public health officials. Federal Emergency Management Agency FEMA has published a notice titled “Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic: Safe Opening and Operation Work Eligible for Public Assistance;” the announcement “…defines the framework, [...]

iqtsupport2021-04-07T21:32:50-04:00April 7, 2021|Coronavirus, COVID-19|

MedPAC Meets

The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission met in Washington, D.C. last week to discuss various Medicare payment issues. Among the issues discussed at MedPAC’s April meeting were: Medicare skilled nursing facility value-based purchased program. Medicare alternative payment models (APMs). Medicare Advantage benchmark policy. Medicare indirect medical education (Medicare IME) payments. Medicare vaccine coverage and payments. Medicare payment for prescription drugs prescribed on an outpatient basis. Private equity and Medicare. Medicare clinical laboratory fee schedule. MedPAC is an independent congressional agency that advises Congress on issues involving Medicare. While its recommendations are not binding on either Congress or the administration, MedPAC is [...]

iqtsupport2021-04-07T06:00:07-04:00April 7, 2021|Alternative payment models, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, CMMI, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC|

Health Policy Update for Monday, April 5

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:30 p.m. on Monday, April 5. The White House COVID-19 The White House has posted a transcript of the April 5 press briefing provided by its COVID-19 response team and public health officials. Provider Relief Fund HHS has removed the following question and answer from its Provider Relief Fund FAQ. Are there any restrictions on how hospitals that receive Medicaid disproportionate share hospital (DSH) payments can use Provider Relief Fund General and Targeted Distribution payments? (Added 2/24/2021) Yes. Providers may not use PRF payments to reimburse expenses or losses that [...]

iqtsupport2021-04-05T17:20:29-04:00April 5, 2021|Coronavirus, COVID-19|

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