Thursday, April 2 Recap
Note – We believe this is the most up-to-date information available at this time, but it is subject to change as circumstances warrant. Also, all finalized resources can be found on the COVID-19 Resource Center page of Hall Render’s website.
HHS OCR Announces Notification of Enforcement Discretion
- HHS’s Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) announced that it will exercise its enforcement discretion and will not impose penalties for violations of certain provisions of the HIPAA Privacy Rule against health care providers or their business associates for the good faith uses and disclosures of protected health information (“PHI”) by business associates for public health and health oversight activities during the COVID-19 nationwide public health emergency.
- The Notification of Enforcement Discretion can be found here.
- The OCR HIPAA, Civil Rights and COVID-19 resource page can be found here.
Announcement Tomorrow on Funds for Hospitals Treating Uninsured
- Vice President Mike Pence said this evening the Administration is working on a proposal to use some of the $100 billion in federal aid from the CARES Act to compensate hospitals directly for treatment of uninsured Americans amid the pandemic. Pence said an announcement is expected tomorrow.
CMS Releases Stakeholder Call Transcript
- CMS released COVID-19 National Stakeholder Call transcript from the March 31 session with CMS Administrator Seema Verma.
From the Administration
- President Trump invoked the Defense Production Act to continue to facilitate the supply of ventilator equipment.
- The Trump administration is expected to put FEMA in charge of obtaining medical supplies, such as masks and gloves, for the Strategic National Stockpile, which received $16 billion in the CARES Act.
Ambulatory Surgery Center Association Issues Letter to HHS
- The Ambulatory Surgery Center Association provided recommendations to HHS on how to allocate funds from the CARES Act and other financial relief options.
From the FDA
- The FDA released a statement on “updated guidance to address the urgent need for blood during the pandemic.” With this statement, the FDA revised several policies on blood guidance.
Congressional Outlook:
- The House and Senate remain in recess until at least April 20.
- While Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) continues to work towards introduction of a fourth stimulus bill, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said he would prefer waiting to evaluate the CARES Act’s impact before considering new stimulus legislation.
For more information, please contact:
- John Williams III at (202) 370-9585 or jwilliams@hallrender.com;
- Andrew Coats at (202) 370-9587 or acoats@hallrender.com;
- Abby Kaericher at (202) 780-2989 or akaericher@hallrender.com; or
- Your regular Hall Render attorney.
To access Hall Render’s COVID-19 resource page and hotline, click here.
Hall Render blog posts and articles are intended for informational purposes only. For ethical reasons, Hall Render attorneys cannot—outside of an attorney-client relationship—answer specific questions that would be legal advice.
