Articles and Blogs

Friday, May 15 Recap Our Federal Advocacy Team is dedicated to providing frequent COVID-19 updates as they develop. Going forward, these updates will be distributed as developments warrant instead of nightly. These updates along with other resources can be found ​on the COVID-19 ​Resource ​Center page ​of Hall Render’s website​. Note – ​we believe this is... READ MORE

On May 8, 2020, CMS released the FY 2022 Hospital Wage Index Development Timetable. The timetable indicates that the preliminary FY 2022 Worksheet S-3, Parts II and III wage index Public Use File (“PUF”) will be released on May 18, 2020. The PUF will contain wage data based on FFY 2018 hospital cost reports... READ MORE

NATIONAL 7 starter steps to reopen your practice, address patient anxiety AMA Shares Privacy Principles for Non-HIPAA Covered Entities, Data As deaths mount, coronavirus testing remains wildly inconsistent in long-term care CDC streamlines lab test result reporting by sharing COVID-19 results reported to public health agencies with HHS system CIOs are trading best practices... READ MORE

The FFY 2021 IPPS Proposed Rule (“Proposed Rule”) was released on May 11, 2020, and CMS published the associated tables on its website. It is expected that the Proposed Rule will be published in the Federal Register on May 29, 2020. The release of the Proposed Rule and the accompanying tables triggers the start... READ MORE

Wednesday, May 13 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.​ CMS Launches Toolkit on State Actions to Mitigate COVID-19 in Nursing Homes... READ MORE

On May 11, 2020, CMS released the 2021 Inpatient Prospective Payment System (“IPPS”) Proposed Rule (“Proposed Rule”). Among other changes in the Proposed Rule, CMS is adopting updated labor market area delineations to take effect on October 1, 2020. Hospitals should review whether they are in a county that is affected by the updated... READ MORE

On April 30, 2020, the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (the “DOJ”) announced its first criminal felony charge in an ongoing probe of the Florida cancer treatment industry. The DOJ alleged that from 1999 to 2016, Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute, LLC (“FCS”) and unnamed co-conspirators conspired to allocate the... READ MORE

The OIG has issued updated guidance on the provision of a telemedicine platform by hospitals to physicians with an additional FAQ, which deviates slightly from OIG’s April 3, 2020 Policy Statement. In its original Policy Statement, which can be found here, OIG stated it would apply enforcement discretion to transactions that fully comply with... READ MORE

Tuesday, May 12 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.​ CMS Updates Medicare Blanket Waivers CMS provided new Medicare blanket waivers expanding... READ MORE

Monday, May 11 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.​ OIG Updates FAQs on Administrative Enforcement Authorities on COVID-19 Arrangements OIG updated... READ MORE