On July 2, 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court granted petitions to hear two cases related to Medicare payments for health care providers. The Court will consider a hospital appeal of a Ninth Circuit decision that vacated part of a...more
As part of the FY 2022 Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) proposed rule issued on April 27, 2021, CMS intends to repeal a requirement that hospitals report their median payer-specific negotiated charges with Medicare...more
Medicare providers and suppliers that received Medicare loans to address cash flow issues stemming from the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) may start seeing a reduction in Medicare reimbursement as Medicare begins to...more
Nursing homes that received Medicare loans to address cash flow issues stemming from the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) may soon see a reduction in Medicare reimbursement as Medicare begins to recoup a portion of...more
On March 11, 2021, President Biden signed into law the American Rescue Plan Act, a $1.9 trillion package to provide relief related to the COVID-19 public health emergency. The final legislation, which passed with support from...more
3/22/2021
/ American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 ,
Biden Administration ,
CARES Act ,
Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) ,
COBRA ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Grants ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
Mental Health ,
Public Health ,
Relief Measures ,
Rural Health Care Providers ,
Skilled Nursing Facility ,
Vaccinations
On December 21, 2020, the House and Senate passed fiscal year (FY) 2021 federal omnibus appropriations legislation that included the fifth measure passed by Congress to address the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to providing...more
12/28/2020
/ CARES Act ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Drug Pricing ,
Federal Funding ,
Financial Stimulus ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare Facilities ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
Popular ,
Relief Measures
On November 20, 2020, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued an interim final rule with comment period (IFC) to implement a payment model that will significantly reduce Medicare reimbursement rates for...more
12/1/2020
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Comment Period ,
Drug Pricing ,
Health Care Providers ,
Hospitals ,
Interim Final Rules (IFR) ,
Manufacturers ,
Medicare ,
Payment Methods ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Reimbursements
In an effort to provide beneficiaries with an increased choice of care and in another nod toward CMS' policy of increasing choice and its site neutrality initiative, CMS has proposed the elimination of the Inpatient Only...more
On August 4, 2020, CMS issued a proposed rule to further reduce outpatient drug payment rates under Medicare to certain hospitals participating in the 340B drug pricing program. As part of the 2021 OPPS Proposed Rule, CMS...more
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has issued guidance eliminating a longstanding enforcement position that delayed the ability of hospitals participating in the 340B drug pricing program to use...more
Health care providers are beginning to receive payments from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to address expenses and revenue losses related to coronavirus (COVID-19). On April 10, 2020, HHS announced the...more
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued guidance on March 28, 2020, outlining how Medicare providers and suppliers can access accelerated and advanced Medicare payments to address financial burdens during...more
Four separate government releases coming over a three-week period have once again highlighted the intense interest in the 340B drug pricing program, with a federal agency and two government watchdog groups issuing guidance...more
1/30/2020
/ Audits ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Discounts ,
Drug Pricing ,
GAO ,
Health Care Providers ,
Hospitals ,
HRSA ,
Information Reports ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
Medicare Part B ,
MedPAC ,
New Guidance ,
Non-Profit Hospitals ,
Pay Reductions ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Provider Payments ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Section 340B ,
State and Local Government
The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals has scheduled oral arguments for November 8, 2019 in the ongoing lawsuit challenging Medicare payment cuts to hospitals in the 340B drug pricing program. The court is considering an appeal by...more
Both the House and Senate are expected to consider legislation to address high drug prices when Congress returns. Meanwhile, the Administration has faced roadblocks to several of its high-profile proposals to address drug...more
A federal district court has ruled, for a second time, in favor of hospitals challenging the legality of Medicare payment cuts targeting certain hospitals in the 340B drug pricing program. In a May 6, 2019 decision, the U.S....more
6/5/2019
/ Appeals ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Drug Pricing ,
Hospitals ,
Injunctive Relief ,
Medicare ,
Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) ,
Pay Reductions ,
Payment Rates ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Provider Payments ,
Remand ,
Remedies ,
Section 340B ,
Stays ,
Unlawful Policies
The U.S. government has appealed a federal district court decision issued in December 2018 that found the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) exceeded its authority by reducing Part B drug reimbursement to certain...more
3/19/2019
/ Abeyance ,
Appeals ,
Arbitrary and Capricious ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Drug Pricing ,
Hospitals ,
Lack of Authority ,
Medicare ,
Medicare Part B ,
Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) ,
Prescription Drug Coverage ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Remedies ,
Section 340B
Health care issues will remain a central focus in Washington throughout 2019. Having gained control of the House following the 2018 mid-term elections, Democrats now have the ability to block President Trump's legislative...more
2/12/2019
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Block Grants ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
CMMI ,
Congressional Oversight ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Drug Pricing ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Medicaid Expansion ,
Medicare ,
Medicare for All ,
Political Parties ,
Popular ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Repeal ,
Stark Law ,
State Medicaid Programs ,
Trump Administration ,
Waivers
In an opinion issued December 27, 2018, a Federal District Court ruled that the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) exceeded its authority by reducing Part B drug reimbursement to certain hospitals in the 340B drug...more
1/11/2019
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Disproportionate Share Adjustments ,
Drug Pricing ,
DSH ,
Government Shutdown ,
Hospitals ,
Lack of Authority ,
Medicare ,
Motion To Stay ,
Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) ,
Permanent Injunctions ,
Remedies ,
Ripeness ,
Rural Health Care Providers ,
Section 340B ,
Subsequent Litigation ,
Trial Court Orders
As the Trump Administration moves forward with proposed policy changes to address high drug prices, a common theme is emerging: a number of the proposals have the potential to reduce Medicare reimbursement to hospitals and...more
8/10/2018
/ Add-ons ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Comment Period ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Drug Pricing ,
Federal Health Care Programs (FHCP) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Hospitals ,
MCOs ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
Medicare Advantage ,
Medicare Part B ,
Medicare Part D ,
MedPAC ,
Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) ,
Pay Reductions ,
Physician Fee Schedule ,
Physicians ,
Prescription Drug Coverage ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Provider Payments ,
Request For Information ,
Section 340B ,
Trump Administration
On July 31, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published a proposed rule outlining the proposed payment rates for 2019 under the Medicare Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS), one of several payment...more
The Medicare program is once again looking to reduce payments to 340B hospitals for Part B drugs and biologicals. As part of its proposed payment regulation for hospitals under the Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS)...more
8/7/2018
/ Biologics ,
Biosimilars ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Dismissals ,
Disproportionate Share Adjustments ,
Hospitals ,
Injunctive Relief ,
Medicare ,
Medicare Part B ,
Off-Campus Departments ,
Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) ,
Pay Reductions ,
Prescription Drug Coverage ,
Provider Payments ,
Ripeness ,
Rural Health Care Providers ,
Section 340B ,
Trump Administration
On April 2, 2018, CMS issued updated guidance related to the dramatic Medicare payment reductions that went into effect this year for certain 340B hospitals. The guidance explains the planned application of the payment cuts...more
4/12/2018
/ Appeals ,
Bipartisan Agreement ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Dismissals ,
Disproportionate Share Adjustments ,
Exemptions ,
Hospitals ,
Medicare ,
Medicare Advantage ,
Medicare Part B ,
New Guidance ,
Out of Network Provider ,
Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) ,
Pay Reductions ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Reversal ,
Ripeness ,
Rural Health Care Providers ,
Section 340B ,
Statutory Authority