On June 5, 2023, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published a final rule in the Federal Register that withdraws COVID-19 vaccination mandates for certain providers’ staff members and withdraws long-term care...more
On Jan. 30, 2023, President Joe Biden announced that the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) will end May 11, 2023. Under the PHE, the federal government implemented a range of modifications and waivers impacting Medicare,...more
5/2/2023
/ CARES Act ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Telehealth ,
Telemedicine
On March 6, 2021, the U.S. Senate narrowly passed H.R. 1319, the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, by a 50-49 vote, along entirely partisan lines. Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK) missed the vote after joining with all Republicans on...more
3/9/2021
/ COBRA ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Hospitals ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
Mental Health ,
Popular ,
Rural Health Care Providers ,
SAMHSA ,
Skilled Nursing Facility ,
Vaccinations
Passed by Congress Dec. 21, 2020, and signed by President Donald Trump Dec. 27, 2020, the $1.4 trillion omnibus Consolidated Appropriations Act includes numerous provisions that directly impact Medicare and Medicaid...more
On July 31, 2020 and August 10, 2020, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued press releases announcing a second chance to apply for funding for certain Medicare providers and extended application...more
On July 17, 2020, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) announced in a press release that providers participating in state Medicaid programs, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and/or...more
Update (June 11, 2020): This article was originally published on June 9, 2020. It has been updated to reflect new guidance released on June 10, 2020, by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the updated...more
On June 9, 2020, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that it will distribute $25 billion from the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund (Provider Relief Fund) to healthcare providers...more
On March 27, 2020, President Trump signed into law the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). This alert is part of a series of alerts discussing CARES Act provisions that are most important to the...more
On April 22, 2020, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the release of the remaining $70 billion of the $100 billion Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund (Provider Relief Fund)...more
On March 28, 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released guidance expanding its Accelerated and Advanced Payment Program, which now allows most Medicare Part A and Part B providers and suppliers to...more
As effects from the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic set in, stay-at-home orders and business closures are disrupting American lives and businesses. The healthcare industry is no exception, with the pandemic both...more
3/30/2020
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Health Care Providers ,
Medicaid ,
Medical Reimbursement ,
Medicare ,
Public Health ,
Relief Measures ,
Telehealth ,
Telemedicine
On March 14, 2020, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 363 to 40 (with one representative voting present) to pass H.R. 6201 – Families First Coronavirus Response Act. The bipartisan legislation, negotiated between House...more
Last month, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) released its annual Solutions to Reduce Fraud, Waste, and Abuse in HHS Programs: OIG’s Top Recommendations. This...more
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently took the next step in its Patients Over Paperwork initiative by publishing a second request for information (RFI). This RFI seeks public comment by Aug. 12 on ways...more
The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (the Act) continues to ratchet up penalties for fraud and abuse violations under the Medicare and Medicaid programs. The Act doubles statutory civil fines and quadruples some criminal fines,...more
When investigating whether an individual or entity is excluded from the federal healthcare programs, healthcare organizations must be on the alert for yet another method for defrauding the government: alias names. Alias names...more
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently proposed regulatory changes to the Stark Law that may ease certain compliance challenges. The Physician Self-Referral Law, located at 42 U.S.C. § 1395nn, and its...more
9/2/2015
/ Alternative Payment Models (APM) ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Holdover Provisions ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
Patient Referrals ,
Physician Recruitment Agreement ,
Physician-Owned Hospitals ,
Physicians ,
Stark Law ,
Timeshare