HPSAs

Federal Health Policy Update for July 5

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for June 29-July 5. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Department of Health and Human Services Because it has found that Medicare Advantage organizations sometimes deny prior authorization requests for post-acute care after a qualifying hospital stay even though the requests met Medicare coverage rules, HHS’s Office of the Inspector General will examine selected Medicare Advantage plans’ processes for reviewing prior authorization requests for post-acute care in long-term acute-care hospitals, inpatient rehabilitation facilities, and skilled nursing facilities. It also will review the [...]

joe2024-07-05T17:44:35-04:00July 5, 2024|Alternative payment models, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMMI, hospitals, Medicaid, Medicare, Medicare post-acute care, Medicare reimbursement policy, post-acute care|

Federal Health Policy Update for January 4

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for December 21 to January 4. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. No Surprises Act HHS, the departments of Labor and the Treasury, and the Office of Personnel Management intend to reopen the comment period for submitting comments on a proposed rule governing federal Independent Dispute Resolution (IDR) operations. They plan to publish a notice to this effect in the near future with further details on reopening the comment period. Department of Health and Human Services HHS’s Office of the National Coordinator [...]

joe2024-01-04T22:10:23-05:00January 4, 2024|Accountable Care Organization, ACO, Alternative payment models, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Federal Update, health equity, hospitals, Medicaid, Medicare, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy|

Hospitals Question Feds’ Plan for Doling Out New GME Slots

Last year Congress created 1000 new Medicare-supported graduate medical education residency slots. This year hospitals are unhappy about how regulators propose assigning those new slots. At issue, according to those who responded to CMS’s proposal for apportioning the slots, is the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ heavy reliance on assigning those slots to providers in Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs). While the legislation calls for incorporating HPSAs into the distribution methodology, provider interests point out, it did not call for the degree of reliance on HPSAs that regulators propose. Doing so, they insist, is contrary to congressional intent. Learn [...]

iqtsupport2022-03-02T06:00:29-05:00March 2, 2022|hospitals, Medicare|

Federal Health Policy Update for Wednesday, July 14

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:45 p.m. on Wednesday, July 14. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. CMS – Proposed 2022 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Rule CMS has released its proposed Medicare physician fee schedule rule for 2022. Highlights of the proposed rule, which is more than 1700 pages, include: loosening current restrictions on the use of telehealth and expanding its use for behavioral health services; expanding the reach of the Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program; requiring clinicians to meet a higher performance threshold to receive [...]

iqtsupport2021-07-14T18:50:52-04:00July 14, 2021|Accountable Care Organization, ACO, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Coronavirus, COVID-19, MACPAC, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, Telehealth|