WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 4, 2021)—The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced additional Biden-Harris Administration appointments, building on an experienced team committed to President Biden’s mission to end the COVID-19 pandemic, expand affordable health care and advance equity.
HHS
WASHINGTON, D.C. (February 1, 2021)—The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a fifth amendment to the Declaration under the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act (PREP Act) to add additional categories of qualified persons authorized to prescribe, dispense, and administer COVID-19 vaccines authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
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 26, 2021)—The Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) has written a letter to all the nation’s governors to inform them that the current public health emergency (PHE), caused by the spread of the novel coronavirus COVID-19, will last all of 2021 and possibly into 2022.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (January 22, 2021)—Earlier this month, outgoing HHS Secretary Alex Azar announced that the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) declaration would be renewed for an additional 90-day term, effective January 21. The extension keeps significant measures of COVID-19 relief for our industry in effect until at least April 21, 2021, including:
WASHINGTON, D.C. (January 15, 2021)—The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), is announcing today that it will be amending the reporting timeline for the Provider Relief Fund Program (PRF) due to the recent passage of the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act. HHS has been working to provide updated reporting requirements that comply with this recently passed legislation.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (December 17, 2020)—The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announced it will distribute $24.5 billion from the Provider Relief Fund (PRF) program to over 70,000 providers.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (December 8, 2020)—President-elect Joe Biden has announced his intention to nominate Xavier Becerra, currently serving as attorney general of California, as Secretary of Health and Human Services.
Becerra is well-known for his defense of the Affordable Care Act. Health care industry leaders praised the nomination on Twitter and in the news. Here’s what some of them had to say.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (November 18, 2020)—The American Association for Homecare (AAHomecare) urged government officials to include DMEPOS suppliers in the Phase 1 Distribution of COVID-19 vaccine for front-line health care personnel.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (November 5, 2020)—The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a notice of proposed rulemaking requiring the department to assess its regulations every ten years to determine whether they are subject to review under the Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA), which requires regular review of certain significant regulations.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 7, 2020)—The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) opened the $20 billion Phase 3 General Distribution under the Provider Relief Fund (PRF) on Monday, Oct.5th.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (September 25, 2020)—The Office of Civil Rights (OCR) of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has issued a warning to health care providers about the Taidoor Malware being used by the Chinese government.
The warning from the OCR and the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) includes a warning about malware, as well as response actions and recommended mitigation techniques.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (September 24, 2020)—In a recent audit from the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (OIG), the department found a 52% increase in Medicare-allowed charges on noninvasive ventilators (NIVs) between 2016 and 2018.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 28, 2020)—The Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC) submitted a letter to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar on the need for clear and timely guidance from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to state Medicaid and CHIP programs when HHS elects to end the current public health emergency (PHE).
WASHIGNTON, D.C. (August 25, 2020)—Providers were expecting to receive quarterly reporting instructions from the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) on Aug. 17, for funds received under the Provider Relief Fund (PRF) program. However, HHS has announced a delay in this information as they are still refining data elements and formulating a template to be used for reporting. The reporting system is still expected to be available Oct. 1, 2020.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 21, 2020)—The House of Representatives completed their work on Fiscal Year 2021 (FY21) for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), allocating $96 billion to HHS for FY21. This funding is separate from the Medicare and Medicaid programs as those are considered mandatory spending and not subject to the annual appropriations process.
Following is a summary of the programs funded of note to homecare and hospice providers:
WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 12, 2020)—The Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) has a COVID-19 Portal covering various COVID-19 topics. Among them is a set of FAQs that is updated periodically.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced an application deadline extension for the Phase 2 general distribution to Medicaid, Medicaid managed care, Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and dental providers, as part of an effort to provide financial relief to health care providers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
WASHINGTON (August 5, 2020)—The Council for Quality Respiratory Care (CQRC)—a coalition of the nation's leading home oxygen therapy provider and manufacturing companies—commended a bipartisan coalition of 101 lawmakers led by Representatives Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and David Loebsack (D-IA) for sending a letter to HHS Secretary Alex Azar and CMS Administrator Seema Verma urging them to delay implementation of the Medicare Competitive Bidding Program (CBP) for Durable Medical Equipment,
WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 24, 2020)—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) could have saved $192 million by targeting home health claims for review with visits slightly above the threshold that triggers a higher Medicare payment, according to a new report from the Office of Inspector General (OIG) of the Department of Health & Human Services.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 17, 2020)—The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) has added a new item, Analysis of New Rural Add-On Payment Methodology, to its Work Plan. The OIG Work Plan sets forth various projects including OIG audits and evaluations that are underway or planned to be addressed during the fiscal year and beyond by OIG’s Office of Audit Services and Office of Evaluation and Inspections.