HIPAA

Federal Health Policy Update for April 25

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for April 9-25. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Updated 340B Arbitration Process Last week HHS’s Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) published a regulation modifying the administrative dispute resolution (ADR) process it uses to adjudicate payment disputes between 340B-eligible providers and pharmaceutical companies. The major changes in the ADR process include the use of HRSA experts to serve on ADR panels; elimination of the $25,000 damage threshold for filing a claim; 340B-eligible providers may now challenge manufacturers that seek to prevent [...]

joe2024-04-25T20:25:44+00:00April 25, 2024|340b, Accountable Care Organization, ACO, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, hospitals, Medicaid, Medicaid long-term services and supports, Medicaid managed care, Medicaid regulations, Medicaid regulations for long-term care, Medicaid regulations for the disabled, Medicare, Medicare post-acute care, Medicare regulations, post-acute care|

Federal Health Policy Update for February 22

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for February 16-22. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. CMS and Medicaid DSH Payments CMS has published a final rule governing how third-party payers are factored into the calculation of hospitals’ Medicaid disproportionate share hospital-specific payment limit. This change requires that the calculation be based solely on Medicaid costs and payments and that costs and payments associated with dually eligible (Medicare and Medicaid) patients be excluded from the calculation of that limit. The effect of this change is that hospitals that are [...]

joe2024-02-22T22:00:03+00:00February 22, 2024|Alternative payment models, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, COVID-19, health equity, hospitals, Medicaid, Medicaid disproportionate share, Medicaid DSH, Medicaid regulations, Medicaid upper-payment limit, Medicare, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, Telehealth|

Federal Health Policy Update for April 20

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for April 8 – 20. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. The White House The Biden administration has announced a plan to expand health coverage for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) individuals. To this end, it announced that HHS will soon propose a rule amending the definition of “lawful presence,” for purposes of Medicaid and Affordable Care Act coverage, to include DACA recipients. If finalized, the rule would make DACA individuals eligible for these programs for the first time. Under the proposed rule, [...]

admin2023-04-20T17:24:28+00:00April 20, 2023|Affordable Care Act, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Congress, COVID-19, health equity, hospitals, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicaid disproportionate share, Medicaid DSH, Medicare, Medicare post-acute care, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC, post-acute care|

Federal Health Policy Update for Thursday, June 30

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:45 p.m. on Thursday, June 30. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. White House The White House has unveiled its “White House Blueprint for Addressing the Maternal Health Crisis.” Monkeypox Update The White House has announced the first phase of its national monkeypox vaccine strategy, a part of its monkeypox outbreak response. The major components of the strategy include expanded efforts to vaccinate those most at risk, expanded testing supply and availability, and greater engagement with community leaders and stakeholders. [...]

admin2022-06-30T17:01:01+00:00June 30, 2022|Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, COVID-19, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicaid managed care, Medicaid regulations for long-term care, Medicare, Medicare post-acute care, Medicare regulations, MedPAC|

Federal Health Policy Update for Tuesday, December 21

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, December 21. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. The White House The administration has announced new steps to protect Americans and help communities and hospitals battle the COVID-19 omicron variant. The major parts of this initiative include: Increasing support for hospitals by deploying 1000 Department of Defense medical personnel to hospitals during January and February and federal medical personnel to some states immediately; expanding hospital capacity; providing support to states to help hospitals create and license [...]

admin2021-12-21T16:36:50+00:00December 21, 2021|Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Coronavirus, COVID-19, MACPAC, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy|

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 [...]

admin2021-10-06T19:24:30+00:00October 6, 2021|340b, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Coronavirus, COVID-19, hospitals, MedPAC|

HIPAA Overhaul Coming?

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has issued a request for information about stakeholders’ views on regulations implementing the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, popularly known as HIPAA, leading to conjecture that the administration may be planning to revise the federal government’s application of the federal health care privacy law enacted in 1996. According to an HHS news release, “This RFI is another crucial step in our Regulatory Sprint to Coordinated Care, which is taking a close look at how regulations like HIPAA can be fine-tuned to incentivize care coordination and improve patient care, while ensuring that [...]

admin2018-12-17T06:00:58+00:00December 17, 2018|Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Medicaid regulations, Medicare regulations|