Medicare post-acute care

Federal Health Policy Update for Thursday, April 14

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 1:15 p.m. on Thursday, April 14. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Public Health Emergency Renewed HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra has extended the COVID-19 public health emergency for another 90 days effective April 16. White House In response to an executive order President Biden issued on his first day in office titled “Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government,” 90 federal agencies and cabinet departments have released equity action plans that lay out more than [...]

iqtsupport2022-04-14T18:51:21-04:00April 14, 2022|Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, COVID-19, health equity, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicaid regulations, Medicare, Medicare post-acute care, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC|

Federal Health Policy Update for Thursday, April 7

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 7. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. White House The administration is proposing to address a flaw in the Affordable Care Act often referred to as the “family glitch.” Under the ACA, people who do not have access to “affordable” health insurance through their jobs may qualify for a premium tax credit to purchase coverage on the ACA’s health insurance marketplaces. Current regulations define employer-based health insurance as “affordable” if the coverage for the employee [...]

iqtsupport2022-04-07T17:12:01-04:00April 7, 2022|Affordable Care Act, Alternative payment models, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMMI, Coronavirus, COVID-19, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicare, Medicare post-acute care, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC, Telehealth|

Federal Health Policy Update for Wednesday, March 16

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 16. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Provider Relief Fund On March 22, 2022 at 11:59 p.m. (eastern), the HRSA COVID-19 Uninsured Program will stop accepting claims for testing and treatment due to lack of funds. On April 5, 2022 at 11:59 p.m. (eastern), the HRSA COVID-19 Uninsured Program and COVID-19 Coverage Assistance Fund will stop accepting vaccination claims due to a lack of funds. See the announcement of these changes. Providers that received Provider [...]

iqtsupport2022-03-16T17:41:14-04:00March 16, 2022|Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Coronavirus, COVID-19, hospitals, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicaid disproportionate share, Medicaid DSH, Medicaid DSH allotments, Medicaid upper-payment limit, Medicare post-acute care, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC|

MedPAC Meets

The government agency that advises Congress on Medicare payment matters met publicly in Washington, D.C. last week. During the virtual meeting, members of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission discussed and debated future Medicare payments for: hospital inpatient services hospital outpatient services physician services ambulatory surgical center services outpatient dialysis hospice care skilled nursing facilities home health inpatient rehabilitation facilities long-term-care hospitals MedPAC is an independent congressional agency that advises Congress on issues involving Medicare. While its recommendations are not binding on either Congress or the administration, MedPAC is highly influential in governing circles and its recommendations often find their way [...]

iqtsupport2021-12-14T06:00:40-05:00December 14, 2021|Medicare, Medicare post-acute care, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC|

Federal Health Policy Update for Thursday, November 4

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:45 p.m. on Thursday, November 4. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. New Federal Vaccination Requirements CMS has unveiled its new COVID-19 vaccine requirements for health care providers that receive reimbursement from the federal government. The highlights include: CMS is requiring COVID-19 vaccination of eligible staff at health care facilities that participate in the Medicare and Medicaid programs. The staff vaccination requirement applies to the following Medicare and Medicaid-certified provider and supplier types: ambulatory surgery centers, community mental health centers, [...]

iqtsupport2021-11-04T17:17:11-04:00November 4, 2021|340b, Alternative payment models, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Congress, Coronavirus, COVID-19, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicaid upper-payment limit, Medicare post-acute care, Medicare regulations, MedPAC, Telehealth|

Federal Health Policy Update for Thursday, September 9

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, September 9. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. The White House The White House has issued a fact sheet outlining how the administration plans to improve the country’s readiness for future pandemics. The major elements of the plan are transforming medical defenses, ensuring situational awareness, strengthening public health systems, building core capabilities, and managing the mission. The White House has posted a transcript of the September 2 press briefing given by its COVID-19 response team and [...]

iqtsupport2021-09-09T17:42:36-04:00September 9, 2021|Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMMI, Congress, Coronavirus, COVID-19, MACPAC, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicare post-acute care, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC, post-acute care|

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 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|