COVID-19

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|

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|

Health Policy Update for Thursday, April 1

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 1. Medicare Accelerated and Advance Payments Program In the latest edition of its online publication MLN Connects, CMS has published information about repayment of money health care providers received under its COVID-19 Accelerated and Advance Payments Program. Those repayments began on March 30. For further information, see the MLN Matters article “Repayment of COVID-19 Accelerated and Advance Payments Began on March 30, 2021.” The White House COVID-19 The White House has posted a transcript of the March 31 press briefing provided by its COVID-19 response [...]

iqtsupport2021-04-01T18:01:20-04:00April 1, 2021|Coronavirus, COVID-19, Medicare reimbursement policy|

Health Policy Update for Tuesday, March 30

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 30. Medicare Sequestration In anticipation of possible congressional action to extend the two percent sequester reduction suspension, CMS has instructed the Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) to hold all claims with dates of service on or after April 1, 2021 for a short period without affecting providers’ cash flow. This will minimize the volume of claims the MACs must reprocess if Congress extends the suspension. The MACs will automatically reprocess any claims paid with the reduction applied if necessary. The White House [...]

iqtsupport2021-03-30T17:20:36-04:00March 30, 2021|Coronavirus, COVID-19|

Health Policy Update for Friday, March 26

Beginning this week, DeBrunner & Associates is expanding its regular updates to encompass a broader scope of federal health policy endeavors to include other matters of importance to providers. Feel free to share this newsletter with others in your organization or to send us the email addresses of those you think might be interested and we will send it directly to them. The following is the latest such information from the federal government as of 2:30 p.m. on Friday, March 26. The White House COVID-19 With funding in large part from the American Rescue Plan, the White House announced that [...]

iqtsupport2021-03-26T17:12:30-04:00March 26, 2021|Coronavirus, COVID-19, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy|

Federal Health Policy Update for Wednesday, March 24

Beginning today, DeBrunner & Associates is expanding its regular updates to encompass a broader scope of federal health policy endeavors to include other matters of importance to providers. Feel free to share this newsletter with others in your organization or to send us the email addresses of those you think might be interested and we will send it directly to them. The following is the latest such information from the federal government as of 2:45 p.m. on Wednesday, March 24. Congress The temporary delay of implementation of the Medicare two percent sequester expires at the end of the month and [...]

iqtsupport2021-03-25T08:51:40-04:00March 25, 2021|Affordable Care Act, Coronavirus, COVID-19|

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 auditing” page of the Provider Relief web site has been [...]

iqtsupport2021-03-22T06:00:51-04:00March 22, 2021|Coronavirus, COVID-19|

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 announced that it is increasing Medicare payments for administering COVID-19 [...]

iqtsupport2021-03-17T06:00:56-04:00March 17, 2021|Coronavirus, COVID-19|

Coronavirus Update for Friday, March 12

The following is the latest COVID-19 information from the federal government as of 3:30 p.m. on Friday, March 12. White House President Biden announced his administration’s objective of making every American eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine by May 1. See a fact sheet about the announcement. The White House has posted a transcript of the March 12 press briefing provided by its COVID-19 response team and public health officials. President Biden will nominate Melanie Egorin to serve as HHS’s Assistant Secretary for Legislation. Department of Health and Human Services HHS announced that an additional 700 health centers supported by the [...]

iqtsupport2021-03-15T06:00:48-04:00March 15, 2021|Coronavirus, COVID-19|