Bulletin Board
Bulletin Board
Coronavirus Update for Thursday, October 1
The following is the latest COVID-19 information from the federal government as 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, October 1. Provider Relief Fund HHS announced the planned distribution of $20 billion in new funding for providers on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. Under this Phase 3 General Distribution allocation, providers that have already received Provider Relief Fund payments will be invited to apply for additional funding that considers financial losses and increased expenses experienced due to COVID-19. Previously ineligible providers, such as those that began practicing in 2020, will also [...]
Coronavirus Update for Tuesday, September 29
The following is the latest COVID-19 information from the federal government as 2:30 p.m. on Monday, September 29. Provider Relief Fund HHS has revised its Provider Relief Fund FAQ with updated information about the tax identification number (TIN) validation process for phase 2 general distribution payments. The update consists of six changes, all marked “modified 9/28/2020,” on pages 30 and 31 of that document. Department of Health and Human Services HHS announced that it will distribute 150 million units of a rapid point-of-care COVID-19 diagnostic test to states with [...]
Public Charge Rule Takes Effect
The “public charge rule” that the administration introduced in 2019, only to have it challenged in the courts, is now being enforced by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services after a federal court lifted an injunction on its implementation. The rule authorizes USCIS to deny a green card to any immigrant who receives certain public benefits – such as food stamps, public housing vouchers, welfare, or Medicaid – for more than 12 months within any three-year period. The expressed purpose of the rule is to deny green cards to individuals [...]
Expand Use of Telehealth, Group Recommends
The federal government should encourage greater use of telehealth, a task force has recommended. Among the changes recommended by the task force, it called on the federal government to make permanent some of the temporary extensions of the use of telehealth authorized for Medicare in response to COVID-19, including: Lifting geographic restrictions and limitations on originating sites. Allowing telehealth for various types of clinicians and conditions. Acknowledging, as many states now do, that telehealth visits can meet requirements for establishing a clinician/patient relationship if the encounter meets appropriate care standards [...]
Coronavirus Update for Wednesday, September 23
The following is the latest COVID-19 information from the federal government as 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, September 23. Continuing Resolution to Fund the Federal Government The House has passed, and the Senate is expected to take up and pass as soon as this week, a continuing resolution to fund the federal government from the beginning of the new fiscal year, on October 1, through December 11; the president is expected to sign the measure. Key health care provisions in this continuing resolution include: Changes in the Medicare Accelerated and Advance [...]