Coronavirus

Federal Health Policy Update for Thursday, August 26

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, August 26. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Provider Relief Fund HHS’s Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has revamped its Provider Relief Fund web site. See the new site here. During a Provider Relief Fund stakeholder webinar today, HRSA highlighted three new fact sheets to assist providers in meeting the September 30, 2021 reporting deadline for Provider Relief Fund money received from April 2020 through June 2020: Provider Relief Fund resource guide guide to using [...]

iqtsupport2021-08-26T16:58:14-04:00August 26, 2021|Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Medicare post-acute care, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC|

Health Policy Update for Thursday, August 19

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, August 19. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. The White House The White House has issued a fact sheet highlighting the latest administration actions to address COVID-19. Those actions include its plan to begin offering COVID-19 booster vaccines starting the week of September 20; a soon-to-be-published regulation requiring workers in long-term-care facilities to be vaccinated (described below); a directive to the Secretary of Education to use all available tools to ensure that governors and other officials [...]

iqtsupport2021-08-19T17:45:22-04:00August 19, 2021|Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMMI, Coronavirus, COVID-19, MACPAC, Medicare, Medicare post-acute care, Medicare reimbursement policy, Telehealth|

Federal Health Policy Update for Friday, August 13

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 1:30 p.m. on Friday, August 13. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Food and Drug Administration COVID-19 The FDA has amended the emergency use authorizations for both the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine and the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to authorize administering an additional dose of those vaccines to certain immunocompromised individuals, including solid organ transplant recipients and those who are diagnosed with conditions that are considered to have an equivalent level of immunocompromise. The FDA has revised its emergency use authorization for [...]

iqtsupport2021-08-16T13:24:58-04:00August 16, 2021|Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Medicaid|

Federal Health Policy Update for Thursday, August 5

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:45 p.m. on Thursday, August 5. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Final Medicare Inpatient Prospective Payment System Regulation for FY 2022 CMS has published its final Medicare inpatient prospective payment system regulation for FY 2022. Highlights include: An increase in hospital inpatient rates of 2.5 percent and an increase in long-term hospital rates averaging 0.9 percent. The Medicare disproportionate share (Medicare DSH) payments uncompensated care allocation has been cut $1.1 billion, to $7.2 billion, with distribution to be based [...]

iqtsupport2021-08-05T18:29:15-04:00August 5, 2021|Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, CMMI, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Medicare disproportionate share, Medicare DSH, Medicare post-acute care, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy|

Federal Health Policy Update for Friday, July 30

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:45 p.m. on Friday, July 30. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Final Medicare Payment Regulations for FY 2022 CMS has published four final rules for Medicare payments in FY 2022: FY 2022 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate Update, Hospice Conditions of Participation Updates, Hospice and Home Health Quality Reporting Program Requirements. (See also CMS’s fact sheet) FY 2022 Inpatient Psychiatric Facilities Prospective Payment System and Quality Reporting Updates for Fiscal Year Beginning October 1, 2021 (FY 2022) (See [...]

iqtsupport2021-07-30T16:33:45-04:00July 30, 2021|Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Coronavirus, COVID-19, hospitals, Medicare post-acute care, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, post-acute care|

Federal Health Policy Update for Tuesday, July 27

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, July 27. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. CDC Updates Mask Guidance The CDC has updated its guidance on the use of masks as a means of protection from COVID-19, encouraging even vaccinated people to wear masks indoors when they are in areas with a high rate of COVID-19 transmission. It also calls on students and staff members of kindergarten–grade 12 schools and institutions of higher education, health care workers, residents and staff members of long-term-care [...]

iqtsupport2021-07-27T17:22:02-04:00July 27, 2021|Coronavirus, COVID-19|

Federal Health Policy Update for Thursday, July 22

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:45 p.m. on Thursday, July 22. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. White House The White House has posted a transcript of the July 22 press briefing given by its COVID-19 response team and public health officials. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Health Policy News CMS has published its proposed calendar year 2022 Medicare outpatient prospective payment system regulation. Among other subjects, the proposed regulation addresses hospital outpatient and ambulatory surgery center payment rates, hospital price transparency, the section 340B [...]

iqtsupport2021-07-22T17:21:47-04:00July 22, 2021|340b, Alternative payment models, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMMI, Coronavirus, COVID-19, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy|

Federal Health Policy Update for Friday, July 16

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:45 p.m. on Friday, July 16. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. White House The White House has posted a transcript of the July 16 press briefing given by its COVID-19 response team and public health officials. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Health Policy News CMS is providing notifications to facilities that were determined to be out of compliance with Quality Reporting Program (QRP) requirements for CY 2020, which will affect their FY 2022 Annual Payment Update (APU). Non-compliance [...]

iqtsupport2021-07-16T17:25:29-04:00July 16, 2021|Coronavirus, COVID-19, Medicare, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC|

Federal Health Policy Update for Wednesday, July 14

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:45 p.m. on Wednesday, July 14. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. CMS – Proposed 2022 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Rule CMS has released its proposed Medicare physician fee schedule rule for 2022. Highlights of the proposed rule, which is more than 1700 pages, include: loosening current restrictions on the use of telehealth and expanding its use for behavioral health services; expanding the reach of the Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program; requiring clinicians to meet a higher performance threshold to receive [...]

iqtsupport2021-07-14T18:50:52-04:00July 14, 2021|Accountable Care Organization, ACO, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Coronavirus, COVID-19, MACPAC, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, Telehealth|

Federal Health Policy Update for Friday, July 9

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:45 p.m. on Friday, July 9. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. White House President Biden has issued an executive order “…to promote competition in the American economy, which will lower prices for families, increase wages for workers, and promote innovation and even faster economic growth.” Among other things, the executive order calls for closer scrutiny of corporate consolidation, maintaining that such consolidation results in a “…lack of competition [that] drives up prices for consumers. As fewer large players have [...]

iqtsupport2021-07-09T17:05:45-04:00July 9, 2021|Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMMI, Coronavirus, COVID-19, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicare|