Bulletin Board
Bulletin Board
Coronavirus Update for Friday, March 19
The following is the latest COVID-19 information from the federal government as of 3:00 p.m. on Friday, March 19. White House The White House has posted a transcript of the March 17 press briefing provided by its COVID-19 response team and public health officials. During the briefing, White House officials noted that under to the American Rescue Plan (the COVID-19 relief bill), the federal government will now cover 100 percent of the cost for Medicaid and children’s health insurance beneficiaries to get vaccinated. Provider Relief Fund The “reporting requirements and [...]
MedPAC: Go Slow on Expanding Medicare Telehealth
MedPAC wants Medicare to test the impact of telehealth on health care under non-COVID-19 conditions before moving forward with expanding the tool’s use in the Medicare population. In a news release accompanying its recently released annual report to Congress on Medicare payment policy, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission writes that In the report, we present a policy option for expanded coverage for Medicare telehealth policy after the PHE is over. Under the policy option, policymakers should temporarily continue some of the telehealth expansions for a limited duration of time (e.g., [...]
MedPAC Offers 2022 Rate Recommendations
MedPAC has recommended modest pay increases for some health care providers and no increases for others in its annual report on Medicare payment policy to Congress. In the report, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission recommends the following changes in Medicare rates for 2022: 2% increase for Medicare inpatient and outpatient services 2% increase for long-term-care hospitals no increase for doctors and other medical professionals no increases for ambulatory surgical centers, outpatient dialysis facilities, skilled nursing facilities, and hospices 5% reductions for home health agencies and inpatient rehabilitation facilities While MedPAC’s [...]
House to Consider Extending Medicare Sequester Delay
The moratorium on the two percent sequestration of Medicare payments could be extended under a bill the House may consider this week. If adopted, the bill would extend the sequester delay for nine months, providing financial relief that many health care providers seek as they continue to deal with the financial challenges posed by COVID-19. The sequester delay was implemented early in the pandemic as a means of providing additional Medicare revenue to hospitals and other health care providers at a time when many people were delaying seeking medical attention [...]
Coronavirus Update for Tuesday, March 16
The following is the latest COVID-19 information from the federal government as of 2:45 p.m. on Tuesday, March 16. White House The White House has posted a transcript of the March 15 press briefing provided by its COVID-19 response team and public health officials. During the briefing, White House officials noted that under to the American Rescue Plan (the COVID-19 relief bill), the federal government will now cover 100 percent of the cost for Medicaid and children’s health insurance beneficiaries to get vaccinated. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services CMS [...]