At the onset of the COVID-19 PHE, CMS was permitted to issue several temporary emergency statutory and regulatory waivers to help providers appropriately respond to the pandemic. On May 1, 2023, the Secretary released a memo...more
5/11/2023
/ Acute Facilities ,
Ambulatory Surgery Centers ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Health Care Providers ,
Home Health Care ,
Hospice ,
Hospitals ,
Long Term Care Facilities ,
Mental Health ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Skilled Nursing Facility ,
Waivers
Effective January 1, 2023, The Joint Commission (TJC) eliminated 168 (or 14%) of its accreditation standards across all of its accreditation programs and revised 14 other standards. To further streamline its standards, TJC is...more
2/15/2023
/ Accreditation ,
Ambulance Providers ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Certifications ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Critical Access Hospitals ,
Health Care Providers ,
Home Health Care ,
Hospitals ,
Laboratories ,
Mental Health ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Standards ,
Skilled Nursing Facility ,
The Joint Commission
CMS released guidance for surveyors that provides leeway in surveying for compliance with the November 2021 interim final rule with comment that imposed a vaccination mandate for most staff at certain covered provider types....more
Employers are amending their vaccine policies in the wake of US Supreme Court opinions. Michelle Strowhiro, Sandra DiVarco and Abigail Kagan discuss the three vaccine rules at play - OSHA Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS),...more
On January 13, 2022, the Supreme Court of the United States released two emergency opinions that change the landscape of the three federal vaccine rules. In summary:
A 5-4 Court majority let the Centers for Medicare &...more
On December 28, 2021, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Quality, Safety and Oversight Group released a memorandum (QSO-22-07-ALL) providing guidance and details on survey procedures for assessing and...more
12/30/2021
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Deadlines ,
Disability ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Essential Workers ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare Facilities ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Interim Final Rules (IFR) ,
Religious Accommodation ,
State and Local Government ,
Vaccinations
The courts continue to move the vaccine mandate goalposts on employers as dozens of legal challenges work their way through the courts. The latest developments are major game changers for employers. As of the publishing of...more
A flurry of litigation in federal district and appellate courts has led to an even split between states in which the COVID-19 vaccine mandate issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services may be implemented and...more
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published an interim final rule with comment period (IFR) on November 5, 2021, that implements the Biden administration’s previously announced vaccine mandate for...more
On November 4, 2021, the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) unveiled its Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) to protect employees of large employers in all industries from COVID-19. The Centers for...more
11/5/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Deadlines ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Contractors ,
Final Rules ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare Workers ,
OSHA ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
On September 9, 2021, US President Joe Biden announced a multipronged plan to increase the number of Americans who are vaccinated for COVID-19. In the plan, titled “Path Out of the Pandemic: President Biden’s COVID-19 Action...more
9/27/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Executive Branch ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Contractors ,
Healthcare Facilities ,
Healthcare Workers ,
OSHA ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing
Stay current on the healthcare enforcement issues impacting your business’ compliance strategies. In this installment of the Healthcare Enforcement Roundup, we address:
• Key areas of enforcement scrutiny in 2021,...more
4/2/2021
/ 1135 Waivers ,
Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Enforcement Guidance ,
Executive Orders ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Healthcare Fraud ,
OIG ,
Private Equity ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Revocation ,
Telehealth ,
Telemedicine
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) notified state survey agency directors that it has lifted previously imposed hospital survey suspensions and resumed routine hospital reaccreditation and recertification...more
In a recent letter to state governors, Acting Secretary of Health and Human Services Norris Cochran signaled the US Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS’s) commitment to “predictability and stability” in the ongoing...more
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) notified state survey agency directors of renewed hospital survey limitations and notification expectations for states and hospitals during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis in...more
On January 11, 2021, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a new web portal to more easily permit healthcare providers and other stakeholders to submit requests for specific waivers of certain healthcare...more
Year-end COVID-19 relief legislation approved by Congress established Rural Emergency Hospitals (REHs) as a new Medicare provider type effective January 1, 2023. REHs, defined as providers that furnish certain outpatient...more
1/6/2021
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Health Care Providers ,
Hospitals ,
Medicare ,
New Legislation ,
Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) ,
Provider Payments ,
Reimbursements ,
Relief Measures ,
Rural Health Care Providers
You won’t want to miss four days of exclusive, virtual events that bring together industry leaders, emerging standouts, innovators and investors from across the industry landscape at the largest healthcare investment...more
1/6/2021
/ Business Development ,
Business Disruption ,
Business Strategies ,
Collaboration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Digital Health ,
Funding Arrangements ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Technology ,
Healthcare Facilities ,
Hospitals ,
Innovation ,
Investors ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Life Sciences ,
Physicians ,
Private Equity ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Webinars
You won’t want to miss four days of exclusive, virtual events that bring together industry leaders, emerging standouts, innovators and investors from across the industry landscape at the largest healthcare investment...more
1/6/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Digital Health ,
Funding Arrangements ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare Facilities ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Hospitals ,
Innovation ,
Investors ,
Joint Venture ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Life Sciences ,
Partnerships ,
Physicians ,
Private Equity ,
Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs) ,
Webinars
You won’t want to miss four days of exclusive, virtual events that bring together industry leaders, emerging standouts, innovators and investors from across the industry landscape at the largest healthcare investment...more
1/6/2021
/ Acquisitions ,
Biopharmaceutical ,
Business Valuations ,
Buyers ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Digital Health ,
Funding Arrangements ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Technology ,
Healthcare Facilities ,
Hospitals ,
Innovation ,
Investors ,
Life Sciences ,
Liquidity ,
Mergers ,
Partnerships ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Physicians ,
Private Equity ,
Sellers ,
Telehealth ,
Webinars
You won’t want to miss four days of exclusive, virtual events that bring together industry leaders, emerging standouts, innovators and investors from across the industry landscape at the largest healthcare investment...more
1/6/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Digital Health ,
Funding Arrangements ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Information Technologies ,
Healthcare Facilities ,
Hospitals ,
Innovation ,
Investors ,
Life Sciences ,
Physicians ,
Private Equity ,
Webinars
On September 28, 2020, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a Quality, Safety and Oversight Group memorandum (QSO-20-41-ALL) (the QSO Memo) reinforcing and clarifying the testing exercises required by...more
On August 17, 2020, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced in a memo to State Survey Agency Directors (QSO-20-35-ALL) the resumption of certain routine surveys and inspections of healthcare providers...more
8/20/2020
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
CLIA ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Health Care Providers ,
Inspections ,
Nursing Homes ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Plan of Correction ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Re-Opening Guidelines ,
Suppliers ,
Surveys
In an announcement welcomed by many healthcare providers, on July 23, 2020, the US Department of Health and Human Services announced that the COVID-19 public health emergency would be extended 90 days, through October 23,...more
On July 20, 2020, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued guidance focused on federal financial assistance recipients’ compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act...more