Telehealth

Federal Health Policy Update for Wednesday, July 27

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 27. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Final Medicare Payment Regulations for FY 2023 CMS has issued its final FY 2023 Medicare inpatient rehabilitation facility (IRF) payment system regulation, finalizing a rate increase of 3.9 percent, which is greater than the 2.8 percent the agency proposed in April. To learn more about CMS’s final IRF payment rule for FY 2023, see this CMS fact sheet and the final rule itself. CMS also has finalized its [...]

iqtsupport2022-07-27T17:34:40-04:00July 27, 2022|Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Congress, COVID-19, Medicaid, Medicaid long-term services and supports, Medicaid managed care, Medicare, Medicare post-acute care, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC, post-acute care, Telehealth|

Federal Health Policy Update for Wednesday, July 20

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 20. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. White House The White House COVID-19 response team has briefed the press about the administration’s latest efforts in the response to COVID-19. Find a transcript of that teleconference briefing here. COVID-19 Public Health Emergency HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra has renewed the COVID-19 public health emergency effective July 15. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services CMS has released its proposed Medicare outpatient prospective payment system regulation for calendar year 2023. [...]

iqtsupport2022-07-20T16:23:46-04:00July 20, 2022|340b, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 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 Monday, June 27

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:15 p.m. on Monday, June 27. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. White House The White House COVID-19 response team has briefed the press about the administration’s latest efforts in the response to COVID-19. Find a transcript of that briefing here and find the slides presented during that briefing here. Supreme Court In a case that challenged a 2005 change in how CMS calculates Medicare disproportionate share (Medicare DSH) payments, the Supreme Court has, in a 5-4 decision, reversed a [...]

iqtsupport2022-06-27T16:37:45-04:00June 27, 2022|Alternative payment models, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMMI, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicare, Medicare disproportionate share, Medicare DSH, Medicare post-acute care, Medicare reimbursement policy, Telehealth|

Federal Health Policy Update for Monday, June 13

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:30 p.m. on Monday, June 13. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. White House The White House has issued a fact sheet outlining its plan for administering COVID-19 vaccines to children under the age of five. Find the fact sheet here. The White House also held a background call with the press to discuss this plan; go here to see a transcript of that call. The White House COVID-19 response team has held a briefing for the press to discuss [...]

iqtsupport2022-06-13T17:03:53-04:00June 13, 2022|Alternative payment models, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMMI, 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 Friday, June 3

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:30 p.m. on Friday, June 3. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. White House The White House COVID-19 response coordinator and press secretary have held a briefing on the latest in the federal response to COVID-19. Find a transcript of that briefing here. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services HHS and CMS are notifying states that they now have an additional year – through March 31, 2025 – to use funding made available by the American Rescue Plan to enhance, [...]

iqtsupport2022-06-03T16:49:10-04:00June 3, 2022|Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, COVID-19, health equity, hospitals, Medicare, Telehealth|

Federal Health Policy Update for Thursday, May 12

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 12. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Provider Relief Fund HHS’s Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has released $450 million in American Rescue Plan grants to rural health care providers. Go here to find the updated database of rural grant recipients. Department of Health and Human Services HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra and CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure have written to the nation’s governors about some of the challenges states will face when the COVID-19 public health [...]

iqtsupport2022-05-12T16:41:48-04:00May 12, 2022|Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, COVID-19, Medicaid, Medicaid regulations, Medicare, Medicare regulations, Telehealth|

Pandemic-Driven Telehealth Expansion Reaching the Disadvantaged

Contrary to the expectations of many, people who are considered disadvantaged based on where they live have experienced a greater increase in the use of telehealth services than any other group since access to such services was expanded in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a report published in Health Affairs, a previous trend that found an inverse link between socio-economic status and telehealth use reversed during the pandemic for non-elderly patients, with all minority groups experiencing increased telehealth use. The only exception has been among older adults, who continue to experience declines in telehealth use as they age. [...]

iqtsupport2022-05-09T06:00:40-04:00May 9, 2022|Telehealth|

Federal Health Policy Update for Thursday, April 21

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:45 p.m. on Thursday, April 21. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Proposed FY 2023 Medicare Inpatient Prospective Payment System Regulation CMS has published its proposed FY 2023 Medicare inpatient prospective payment system regulation outlining how it envisions paying hospitals for the inpatient care they provide to Medicare patients in the coming fiscal year. Highlights of the proposed regulation include: A proposed 3.2 percent increase in inpatient rates and a 0.7 percent increase in LTCH rates. A $654 million cut [...]

iqtsupport2022-04-21T17:30:19-04:00April 21, 2022|Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, COVID-19, health equity, hospitals, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicare, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, Telehealth|

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 Friday, April 1

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:30 p.m. on Friday, April 1. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Provider Relief Fund After April 5, this program also will stop accepting claims for administering vaccines to uninsured individuals. See this notice for further information about both deadlines for submitting claims. Proposed Medicare Payment Regulations for FY 2023 CMS has published its proposed inpatient rehabilitation facility (IRF) prospective payment system and IRF quality reporting program for FY 2023. The agency proposes a 2.8 percent net increase in Medicare [...]

iqtsupport2022-04-01T17:09:26-04:00April 1, 2022|Accountable Care Organization, ACO, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMMI, Coronavirus, COVID-19, health equity, Medicare reimbursement policy, Telehealth|