Policy Updates

Demand for Agency Nurses Drops

The demand for agency nurses has dropped by a third recently, nurse staffing agencies report. The decline is generally attributed to a combination of the stabilization in the number of COVID-19-related hospitalizations and the phasing out of federal aid for hospitals and government reimbursement for care for uninsured COVID patients. Learn more about how the demand for agency nurses waxed and then waned and how much they were costing hospitals at their peak in the Kaiser Health News article “Travel Nurses See Swift Change of Fortunes as Covid Money Runs Dry.”

iqtsupport2022-05-11T06:00:03-04:00May 11, 2022|COVID-19|

Relatively Few Docs Treating Medicaid Patients

Just a small portion of the providers theoretically available to serve individuals enrolled in Medicaid managed care plans are actually caring for such patients, a new study has found. According to a report in Health Affairs, 25 percent of the primary care physicians serving patients in selected managed care plans are providing 86 percent of the primary care to those plans’ members while 16 percent of those plans’ listed primary care providers have gone more than a year without filing a single claim. Similarly, 25 percent of the medical specialists participating in the plans provided 75 percent of the plans’ [...]

iqtsupport2022-05-10T06:00:21-04:00May 10, 2022|Medicaid, Medicaid managed care|

Hospitals Feeling the Pain of Loss of Pandemic Aid

The end of some forms of federal COVID-19 financial assistance is causing financial pain for some hospitals – especially safety-net hospitals that care for especially large numbers of uninsured patients. During the pandemic, the federal government reimbursed hospitals for testing, vaccinating, and treating uninsured COVID patients; now it does not. During the pandemic, some people, including many who are uninsured, put off seeking to address their health problems because they feared going to a hospital and encountering the highly contagious virus. Now, these individuals are showing up at hospitals’ doors seeking care, have no insurance, their medical problems have grown [...]

iqtsupport2022-05-09T13:00:02-04:00May 9, 2022|COVID-19, hospitals|

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, May 5

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 5. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Department of Health and Human Services HHS and its Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) have awarded nearly $25 million to 125 HRSA-funded health centers to improve and strengthen access to school-based health services. Awards will support local partnerships between schools and health centers to provide children and youth with comprehensive physical and mental health care. Learn more from this HHS news release. HHS and its Substance Abuse [...]

iqtsupport2022-05-05T16:22:38-04:00May 5, 2022|Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Coronavirus, COVID-19, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicare, Medicare post-acute care, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC|

DeBrunner Partner Recognized by Publication

City and State Pennsylvania has named DeBrunner & Associates’ Michael Chirieleison one of its “2022 Health Care Power 100.” Since taking over the reins of DeBrunner & Associates’ Pennsylvania health care consulting, government relations, and advocacy practice, Mike has pushed the firm in new directions. From a mostly hospital-oriented practice, Mike and his team of policy, data, and lobbying professionals have moved boldly into biopharmaceuticals, long-term care, substance use services, and more. In recent years the firm has scored a number of successes, including the successful pursuit of legislation to increase state funding for skilled nursing facilities that care for [...]

iqtsupport2022-05-03T14:29:58-04:00May 3, 2022|Uncategorized|

Federal Health Policy Update for Thursday, April 28

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 28. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. White House The White House has announced a series of steps designed to increase the availability of oral treatments for COVID-19. Those steps include nearly doubling the number of places oral antivirals are available in the coming weeks; launching a new effort to establish federally-supported test-to-treat sites; supporting medical providers with more guidance and tools to understand and prescribe treatments; and communicating to the public that safe, effective [...]

iqtsupport2022-04-28T17:23:03-04:00April 28, 2022|Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, COVID-19, health equity, hospitals, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicaid managed care, Medicaid regulations, Medicare, Medicare reimbursement policy|

Pennsylvania Considers Screening Would-Be Nursing Home Buyers

Even before the federal government announced that it would release data on hospital and nursing home ownership as a means of casting light on the impact of private equity on provider quality and costs, regulators in Pennsylvania were proposing their own approach by seeking to vet those aspiring to purchase nursing homes in their state. Under nursing home regulations proposed by the Pennsylvania Department of Health, regulators would have an opportunity to examine the past performance and financial strength of entities seeking to purchases nursing homes. As more for-profit entities enter the industry, the department notes, they bring with them [...]

iqtsupport2022-04-27T06:00:06-04:00April 27, 2022|Medicaid regulations for long-term care, Pennsylvania Medicaid, post-acute care|

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 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|