Articles and Blogs

Update as of 10/27/20: CMS initially announced that the RO Model would be implemented effective January 1, 2021.  However, on October 21, 2020, CMS announced that in response to stakeholder input, implementation of the RO Model will be delayed until July 1, 2021.  CMS will be pursuing rulemaking to accomplish this change. On September... READ MORE

The Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) recently released details about qualifying for its nursing home infection control distributions. Previously, on September 3, 2020, HHS announced the details of its $2 billion Provider Relief Fund (“PRF”) performance-based incentive payment distribution to nursing homes (“NH Incentive Payments”). “Nursing homes” refers to skilled nursing facilities... READ MORE

On Saturday, September 19, the Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) published its highly anticipated Final Provider Relief Fund Reporting Guidelines (“Reporting Guidelines”) for providers (“Recipients”) who received more than $10,000 in relief fund payments from the Provider Relief Fund created by the CARES Act (“Relief Fund”). The Reporting Guidelines (available here) include detailed... READ MORE

On September 2, 2020, Judge James E. Boasberg of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia issued a nationwide preliminary injunction enjoining the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) from: (i) enforcing its repeal of the definition of discrimination “on the basis of sex” insofar as it includes discrimination on... READ MORE

NATIONAL 20 bold predictions for health IT in the next 5 years A timeline of telehealth support from the federal government during the pandemic AHA supply chain leader urges healthcare industry to evaluate stockpiling, avoid slipping back into old habits CMS ditches controversial MFAR, $50B Medicaid pay cuts CMS Floats New Infection Control Quality... READ MORE

On August 8, 2020, President Trump announced four executive actions intended to provide certain targeted relief for enhanced unemployment payments, eviction moratoriums, student loan payment relief and employee payroll taxes while negotiations continue in Congress for the next round of stimulus/aid in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This summary focuses on the Presidential Memorandum... READ MORE

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) recently announced the Community Health Access and Rural Transformation (“CHART”) Model, which is a new voluntary payment model aimed at increasing access to and improving the quality of health care in rural communities through a value-based rather than volume-based approach. Under the CHART Model, Accountable Care... READ MORE

On Friday, September 11, 2020, the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) announced revisions to its initial Rule implementing the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act (“EPSLA”) and the Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act (“EFMLEA”) under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”). The “Revised Rule” goes into effect on Wednesday, September 16, 2020.... READ MORE

Last month, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit[1] in Demkovich v. St. Andrew the Apostle Parish[2] declined to establish a blanket rule extending the “ministerial exception” beyond tangible employment decisions to claims of a hostile work environment asserted by ministerial employees. The court observed that while the First Amendment protected religious... READ MORE

NATIONAL 7 things to know about telehealth, innovation efforts in HHS rural action plan Blackbaud security breach hits 11 systems: Atrium, NorthShore University, UK HealthCare & more CMS Administrator Seema Verma Talks Testing In Nursing Homes CMS consolidates 8 provider comparison tools into a single platform CMS launches dashboard of 8 healthcare compare tools... READ MORE