WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 25, 2021)—The Senate has confirmed Chiquita Brooks-LaSure as the next administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The vote was 55 to 44 in favor of her confirmation. Brooks-LaSure will be the first Black woman to hold the position.
Today, leaders in the homecare industry shared their reactions to the news.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (April 9, 2021)—For a short period early in the COVID-19 pandemic, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) expanded its Accelerated and Advanced Payments (AAP) Program to Medicare providers and suppliers, including DME and home health suppliers. The expanded program was available for suppliers starting March 28, 2020, and the suspension of the program was announced a month later in April.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 31, 2021)—Last week, the Senate passed an amended version of H.R. 1868, extending the pause on 2% Medicare sequester cuts though the end of 2021. Without Congressional action, those cuts would go back into effect on April 1.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 23, 2021)—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued Change Request (CR) 12085—Correction to Period Sequence Edits on Home Health Claims.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 3, 2021)—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has published the Revised January 2021 DMEPOS Fee Schedule. In the announcement, CMS stated that errors were identified in the original fee schedule that was published on Dec. 11, 2020 and this new fee schedule includes adjustments to 919 HCPCS codes.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 2, 2021)—The National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) has received additional clarification on Medicare coverage policies for home health agencies.
NAHC has reported on responses from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on several key outstanding question. In that report NAHC noted follow-up was needed on two of CMS’s responses.
WASHINGTON, DC (February 26, 2021)—The Council for Quality Respiratory Care—a coalition of the nation's leading home respiratory therapy providers and manufacturing companies—partnered with the American Association for Homecare and The VGM Group in sending a letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Acting Administrator Elizabeth Richter urging the agency to finalize the
WASHINGTON, D.C. (February 24, 2021)—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced that efforts are underway to support Texas in response to severe winter storms that have affected the state over the past several days. On Feb. 17, 2021, Health and Human Services Acting Secretary Norris Cochran declared a public health emergency (PHE) for Texas retroactive to Feb.11, 2021.
MADISON, Wis. (February 23, 2021)—Husch Blackwell’s Hospice & Palliative Care team secured a $44 million reduction of an alleged overpayment for a hospice client involved in an audit of Medicare payments. The auditor, a contractor hired by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Service (CMS) to audit hospices, had used statistical extrapolation to find this extraordinary overpayment amount.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (February 4, 2021)—Late last year, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published the 2020 Medicare Fee-For-Service Supplemental Improper Payment Data. This is an annual report published by CMS's Comprehensive Error Rate Testing (CERT) program that is intended to measure the improper payments made in the Medicare FFS program.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (January 29, 2021)—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has added the 2018 calendar year to publicly-available online files of the Post-Acute Care and Hospice Provider Utilization and Payment Public Use Files.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (January 26, 2021)— The Health and Human Services Department’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) has launched an audit of home health services provided through telehealth during the COVID-19 public health emergency to verify that providers aren’t doing more than they’re supposed to do to qualify for reimbursement.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (January 22, 2021)—A definition of “reasonable and necessary” was included of the recently finalized rule, Medicare Program; Medicare Coverage of Innovative Technology (MCIT) and Definition of ‘‘Reasonable and Necessary’’.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (January 15, 2021)—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has finalized a signature accomplishment of the new Office of Burden Reduction & Health Informatics (OBRHI). This final rule builds on the efforts to drive interoperability, empower patients, and reduce costs and burden in the health care market by promoting secure electronic access to health data in new and innovative ways.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (January 14, 2021) -- The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final rule on Tuesday that propels innovative technology so Medicare beneficiaries have access to the latest, most advanced devices. The action is designed to help smooth the Medicare coverage pathway for innovative products, resulting in faster access to new devices for America’s seniors.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (January 13, 2021)—On January 8, the State of Tennessee announced that its “block grant” waiver request for TennCare (the state Medicaid program) was approved by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) after a year of negotiation. This new agreement will allow TennCare to administer the program with less oversight from the federal government and is intended to give more flexibility.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (January 8, 2021)—Today, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that the Home Health Value-Based Purchasing (HHVBP) Model has been certified for expansion through rulemaking beginning no sooner than Calendar Year (CY) 2022. The model, implemented in nine states, has resulted in an average 4.6% improvement in home health agencies’ quality scores as well as average annual savings of $141 million to Medicare.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (January 6, 2021)—Occupational therapy practitioners are celebrating passage of the large year-end omnibus legislative package because one measure will ease access to therapy for our nation’s most vulnerable populations. The Medicare Home Health Flexibility Act (H.R. 3127/S. 1725) was enacted among multiple health care priorities when signed into law on Dec.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (December 18, 2020)—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has published the CY 2021 Medicare Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics and Supplies (DMEPOS) Fee Schedule. As of Jan. 1, 2021, CMS will continue to apply the CARES Act relief rates for rural and nonrural areas.
BALTIMORE (December 15, 2020)—The American Academy of Home Care Medicine (Academy) has expressed concerns that the Medicare cuts beginning in 2021 threaten care for patients receiving primary care in their homes when they are being encouraged to stay home to stay safe.
