hospitals

Federal Health Policy Update for Thursday, January 13

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:45 p.m. on Thursday, January 13. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Supreme Court The Supreme Court has ruled that the administration’s vaccine mandate for health care workers will remain in effect while the mandate is challenged in the lower courts. See the court’s ruling here. White House The White House has announced new efforts to protect children from COVID-19 and keep schools open. The new measures include: Sending more point-of-care and lab-based PCR tests to schools. Deploying federal surge [...]

iqtsupport2022-01-13T17:31:49-05:00January 13, 2022|Alternative payment models, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMMI, Coronavirus, COVID-19, hospitals, MACPAC, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC, post-acute care|

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 Wednesday, October 6

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:15 p.m. on Wednesday, October 6. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Provider Relief Fund: Reminder That Applications Are Now Being Accepted The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has opened its portal for providers to apply for $25.5 billion in health care relief funds, including $8.5 billion in American Rescue Plan resources for providers that serve rural patients covered by Medicare, Medicaid, or the Children’s Health Insurance Program and $17 billion for Provider Relief Fund Phase 4 grants for [...]

iqtsupport2021-10-06T19:24:30-04:00October 6, 2021|340b, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Coronavirus, COVID-19, hospitals, MedPAC|

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 Wednesday, May 19

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:15 p.m. on Wednesday, May 19. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. NASH Advocacy NASH has written to all members of Congress urging them to contact Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra about directing more of its remaining CARES Act Provider Relief Fund money to private safety-net hospitals to help them serve their diverse, predominantly low-income communities during the COVID-19 emergency. Go here to see NASH’s message to Congress. The White House COVID-19 The White House has posted a [...]

iqtsupport2021-05-19T18:01:19-04:00May 19, 2021|Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Congress, Coronavirus, hospitals, Medicare, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC, Telehealth|

Earmarks are Back and Hospitals are Lining Up for Them

After an absence of 10 years federal earmarks are back and hospitals and health systems are asking their members of Congress for funding for equipment, facility improvements, expansion, and more. Each member of Congress may submit requests for up to ten earmarks, and the House Appropriations Committee has released the requests made of it by House members on behalf of their constituents. All told, Congress plans to spend $14 billion on earmarked projects, with only non-profit entities eligible to receive them. Among the requests released by the House Appropriations Committee are earmarks for procedure rooms, pediatric MRIs, ultrasound equipment, linear [...]

iqtsupport2021-05-19T11:15:49-04:00May 19, 2021|hospitals|

Hospitals Starting to Comply With Price Transparency Requirement

One out of every three hospitals is in full compliance with a federal mandate to post payer rates publicly and transparently. And many others are partially in compliance with the federal requirement that took effect on January . Full compliance requires that the postings are machine-readable and include payer-negotiated rates for 300 “shoppable services.” 2000 of 6000 hospitals are already meeting four of five federal criteria and about 20 percent appear to be on their way to doing so. Hospitals began working to comply with the new federal mandate when their attempt to block it in court failed. Learn more [...]

iqtsupport2021-02-25T06:00:47-05:00February 25, 2021|hospitals|

Oregon Establishes Community Benefit Levels for Hospitals

Individual hospitals will need to meet specific community benefit requirements to retain their non-profit status under a new program in the state of Oregon. As described in a news release from the Oregon Health Authority and Department of Human Services, Each tax-exempt hospital or hospital system in the state will receive a floor for community benefit spending based on their revenues, prior expenditures, financial health, and the needs of the population served. As part of the program, The bill created new standards for financial assistance to patients including increasing the income thresholds for charity care, limited medical debt collection and [...]

iqtsupport2021-02-11T06:00:11-05:00February 11, 2021|hospitals|

Financial Outlook Weak as Non-Profit Hospitals Face Challenging 2021

Non-profit hospitals face numerous challenges to their financial health in 2021, according to a recent analysis by Moody’s, the bond-rating company. Among those challenges are weak cash flow caused by reduced non-urgent procedures; weak demand; a shift of patients to lower-cost, lower-revenue outpatient settings; changes in payer mix as Medicaid enrollment continues to rise and more patients lose their health insurance; and COVID-19-related expenses that continue to drive up costs. Learn more about Moody’s outlook for non-profit hospitals in 2021 in the Fierce Healthcare article “Moody’s: Not-for-profit hospitals face major cash constraints, negative outlook for 2021.”

iqtsupport2020-12-16T06:00:46-05:00December 16, 2020|hospitals|

GAO Calls for More Work Scrutinizing Hospitals’ Tax-Exempt Status

The question of whether non-profit hospitals are doing enough to justify their tax-exempt status is the focus of a new Government Accountability Office study on the manner in which the Internal Revenue Service evaluates hospitals’ tax exemption. According to the study, the IRS struggles with one of the three primary criteria for non-profit hospitals’ tax-exempt status outlined in the Affordable Care Act (PPACA): whether the community benefit such hospitals provide justifies their tax exemption. The GAO review observed that While PPACA established requirements to better ensure hospitals are serving their communities, the law is unclear about what community benefit activities [...]

iqtsupport2020-10-23T06:00:31-04:00October 23, 2020|hospitals|