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.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 14, 2020)—The American Association for Homecare (AAHomecare) joined other health care groups in asking Congress to affirm tax-exempt status for recent relief for healthcare providers, as noted in a late June press release.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 12, 2020)—The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has earmarked $15 billion in relief funding for health care providers serving patients under Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) programs.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 27, 2020)—The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a 45-day deadline extension for providers who are receiving payments from the Provider Relief Fund to accept the terms and conditions for Provider Relief Fund payments on May 22. This announcement means providers have now been granted 90 days from the date they received a payment to accept HHS Terms and Conditions or return the funds.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 21, 2020)—The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has released additional information on the Provider Relief Fund deadline for submitting revenue information. The Agency is also reminding eligible providers that they have until June 3, 2020, to accept the Terms and Conditions and submit their revenue information to support receiving an additional payment from the Provider Relief Fund $50 billion General Distribution.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (March 19, 2019)—President Donald Trump signed HR 6201, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act into law yesterday. The bill responds to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) by providing paid sick leave and free coronavirus testing expanding food assistance and unemployment benefits, and requiring employers to provide additional protections for health care workers.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (February 12, 2020)—This week, the President’s Fiscal Year 2021 Budget was published by the Trump Administration. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published an accompanying Budget in Brief that highlights all the proposals that impact health care.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (November 22, 2019)—The Office of Inspector General (OIG) recently conducted an audit of hospice organizations to check on the quality of hospice care and ensure registered nurses were conducting visits every 14 days. Below is a summary of the findings. The full report is found here.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 25, 2019)—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Service (CMS) has responded to members of the House of Representatives who joined a Congressional sign-on letter asking the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and CMS to reconsider plans to include non-invasive ventilators in Round 2021 of the competitive bidding program.
