Policy Updates

Coronavirus update for Thursday, April 23 as of 5:00 p.m. Congress The House has passed H.R. 266, the $384 billion COVID-19 relief/economic stimulus bill  that includes $75 billion for health care providers and $25 billion for testing. Department of Health and Human Services Providers that received an email from CMS on Sunday night informing them that they are in a COVID-19 hotspot were directed to register their information through https://www.teletracking.com/ by noon on Saturday, April 25.  Doing so does not guarantee eligibility for a share of the $10 billion that CMS announced yesterday that it would be distributing among providers that have [...]

Coronavirus update for April 22 as of 4:30 p.m. Distribution of Additional CARES Act Funding Today the Department of Health and Human Services announced how it will distribute the remaining $70 billion of the $100 billion designated in the CARES Act for health care providers.  See a news release describing that plan here. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services CMS has posted a new toolkit to help state and local health care decision-makers maximize workforce flexibilities when confronting COVID-19 in their communities.  The toolkit is a curated set of previously released resources and tools for decision-makers managing health care workforce [...]

Coronavirus update for April 21 as of 5:00 p.m. Congress and Administration Agree on Next Aid Package Congressional leaders and the Trump administration have agreed to provide $75 billion for hospitals as part of a $484 billion COVID-19 and economic relief package.  This $75 billion would be addition to the money from the CARES Act and would have the same parameters as the CARES Act money. The bill also includes $25 billion to research, develop, validate, manufacture, purchase, administer, and expand capacity for COVID-19 tests.  Among others, this $25 billion would be distributed as follows: $11 billion for states, localities, [...]

The following is the latest COVID-19 information from the federal government and others as of 4:00 on Thursday, April 16. Department of Health and Human Services HHS has established a portal for recipients of CARES Act funding designated for hospitals and health care providers to attest to their acceptance of the terms and conditions of these grants. Recipients must complete this attestation within 30 days of receipt of a grant.   Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services CMS has updated its list of blanket waivers for health care providers. CMS updates this document regularly, with the latest update including changes [...]

The following is the latest information from federal regulators and others as of 4:00 p.m. on Monday, April 13. Department of Health and Human Services HHS has published its terms and conditions for providers that accept grants from the $100 billion in the CARES Act designated for hospitals and other health care providers. The HHS Office of the Inspector General (OIG) has updated its FAQ on administrative enforcement authorities addressing arrangements directly connected to the COVID-19 crisis to include answers to two new questions about providers providing free or reduced-rate services to skilled nursing facilities and hospitals extending free, HIPAA-based [...]

The following is the latest COVID-19 information from federal regulators and others as of 3:30 p.m. on Friday, April 10. The following is the latest information from federal regulators as of 3:30 p.m. on Friday, April 10. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services CMS has posted a new “CARES Act Provider Relief Fund” page detailing how it is distributing the first $30 billion of CARES Act grants to hospitals and health care providers. This notice informs grant recipients that they “… are obligated to abstain from “balance billing” any patient for COVID-related treatment.” CMS has updated its compendium of emergency [...]