COVID-19

Federal Health Policy Update for Thursday, January 6

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:45 p.m. on Thursday, January 6. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Provider Relief Fund The Provider Relief Fund reporting portal is now open for reporting period 2 and will remain open through March 31, 2022. Go here for more information about what organizations do and do not need to report and how to do so. The Provider Relief Fund web page offers updated information about what constitutes an allowable expense when reporting on the use of Provider Relief Fund [...]

iqtsupport2022-01-06T17:30:52-05:00January 6, 2022|Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Coronavirus, COVID-19, hospitals, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicaid managed care, Medicare, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC|

Federal Health Policy Update for Monday, January 3

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:45 p.m. on Monday, January 3. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. The White House President Biden has issued a memorandum to the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency on maximizing assistance to respond to COVID-⁠19. Among other things, the memorandum calls for FEMA to provide emergency and disaster assistance, to establish or expand COVID-19 testing sites at the request of state governments, and to underwrite the [...]

iqtsupport2022-01-03T17:34:54-05:00January 3, 2022|Alternative payment models, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMMI, Coronavirus, COVID-19, MACPAC, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC|

Federal Health Policy Update for Tuesday, December 21

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, December 21. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. The White House The administration has announced new steps to protect Americans and help communities and hospitals battle the COVID-19 omicron variant. The major parts of this initiative include: Increasing support for hospitals by deploying 1000 Department of Defense medical personnel to hospitals during January and February and federal medical personnel to some states immediately; expanding hospital capacity; providing support to states to help hospitals create and license [...]

iqtsupport2021-12-21T16:36:50-05:00December 21, 2021|Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Coronavirus, COVID-19, MACPAC, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy|

Federal Health Policy Update for Thursday, December 9

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, December 9. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Update on Efforts to Delay Medicare Sequestration Cuts The Senate has advanced S 610, a bill that would: Extend the COVID-19-driven moratorium on the long-time two percent Medicare sequestration until the end of March 2022, reducing that sequestration from two percent to one percent from the beginning of April through the end of June 2022. Avoid the additional four percent sequestration necessitated by federal PAYGO rules by moving [...]

iqtsupport2021-12-09T16:47:04-05:00December 9, 2021|Congress, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Medicaid, Medicaid and housing for the disabled, Medicare cuts, Medicare reimbursement policy|

Federal Health Policy Update for Monday, December 6

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:45 p.m. on Monday, December 6. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. The White House The White House has published a plan outlining the steps the administration will take to combat the delta and omicron variants of COVID-19 in the coming months. The major components of this plan are boosters for all adults, vaccinations for children, expanded free home testing, stronger public health protocols for international travel, workplace protections, rapid response teams to help battle rising cases, and supplying treatment [...]

iqtsupport2021-12-06T17:23:36-05:00December 6, 2021|Accountable Care Organization, Alternative payment models, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMMI, Coronavirus, COVID-19, MACPAC, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC, Telehealth|

Federal Health Policy Update for Wednesday, December 1

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December 1. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Omicron Variant The CDC has confirmed the first case of the COVID-19 omicron variant on U.S. soil. Learn more from this CDC news release. Health Care Employee Vaccine Mandate COVID-19 A federal court has issued a preliminary injunction blocking enforcement of the federal government’s requirement that health care workers receive COVID-19 vaccines by December 6. Find the court’s ruling here. The ultimate ruling will be made by a [...]

iqtsupport2021-12-01T17:37:13-05:00December 1, 2021|Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, CMMI, Coronavirus, COVID-19, MedPAC, Telehealth|

Federal Health Policy Update for Tuesday, November 23

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, November 23. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. The White House The White House has posted a transcript of the November 22 press briefing given by its COVID-19 response team and public officials. Go here for the slides presented during that meeting. Provider Relief Fund HHS announced that it has begun distributing $7.5 billion in American Rescue Plan rural payments to providers and suppliers that serve rural Medicaid, Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and Medicare beneficiaries. [...]

iqtsupport2021-11-23T17:27:12-05:00November 23, 2021|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, Medicare reimbursement policy, Telehealth|

Federal Health Policy Update for Friday, November 19

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:45 p.m. on Friday, November 19. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Congress On Friday the House passed a $1.7 trillion social spending bill, H.R. 5376 - Build Back Better Act, with no Republican votes and all but one Democratic vote. The Congressional Budget Office score indicates that the health care policies in the bill are paid for by cuts in other health care programs. The bill includes nearly $300 billion in health care provisions, including: $57 billion to provide [...]

iqtsupport2021-11-19T17:30:27-05:00November 19, 2021|Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Congress, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Medicare reimbursement policy|

Federal Health Policy Update for Monday, November 15

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:45 p.m. on Monday, November 15. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. The White House The White House has posted a transcript of the November 10 press briefing given by its COVID-19 response team and public officials. Go here for the slides presented during that briefing. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services – Final Guidance on Shared/Co-Located Hospital Spaces In a memo to state survey agencies, CMS has published final guidance for the evaluation of compliance with the Medicare Conditions [...]

iqtsupport2021-11-15T17:19:23-05:00November 15, 2021|Accountable Care Organization, ACO, Alternative payment models, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMMI, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicare reimbursement policy|

Federal Health Policy Update for Wednesday, November 10

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:45 p.m. on Wednesday, November 10. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. The White House The White House announced that it will spend $785 million in American Rescue Plan funding to support community-based organizations building vaccine confidence across communities of color, rural areas, and low-income populations; bolster the efforts of Tribal communities leading the way in mitigating the spread of the virus; expand public health systems’ ability to respond to the needs of people with disabilities and older adults who [...]

iqtsupport2021-11-10T17:30:36-05:00November 10, 2021|Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMMI, Coronavirus, COVID-19, MACPAC|