Articles and Blogs

CMS released the FFY 2024 IPPS Final Rule (“Final Rule”) on August 1, 2023, publishing a fact sheet on its website. The Final Rule is expected to be published in the Federal Register on August 28, 2023. In doing so, CMS will finalize changes to its rural floor wage index policy that can drastically... READ MORE

On August 1, 2023, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) issued its Final Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System (“IPPS”) and Long-Term Care Hospital (“LTCH”) PPS rule for fiscal year (“FY”) 2024 (“Final Rule”). The Final Rule increases the rate for IPPS payments by 3.3% in FY 2024 but applies a 0.2% productivity... READ MORE

The Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs recently released the Biden administration’s Spring 2023 Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions (the “Unified Agenda”). Contained in the Unified Agenda is an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking from the Office of Inspector General (“OIG”) of a proposed rule which would, among other changes, expand the... READ MORE

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) has announced a new version of Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, that is available for use beginning August 1, 2023. The prior version of Form I-9 continues to be effective through October 31, 2023. Additionally, USCIS has announced the authorization of an optional alternative procedure to the in-person... READ MORE

In its latest capital markets update, H2C noted that July nonprofit hospital bond issuance was down 57% year-over-year and down 52% year-to-date (compared to January through June 2022). CMS issued a final rule that will increase payments to SNFs by 4%, or $1.4B, starting in 2024. CMS described the increase as a “parity adjustment... READ MORE

NATIONAL 83% of Acute Care Hospitals Engage in Some SDOH Data Collection AHA, AMA, BCBSA Urge CMS Not to Adopt Proposed Standards for Healthcare Attachments AI, nurses protesting, another hospital shooting—Stakeholders debate how to make hospitals safe Amazon rolls out its virtual health clinic nationwide Bill would extend, strengthen MACRA incentives for advanced APMs... READ MORE

A new Arizona law imposes several written disclosure requirements that Arizona health facilities must provide to emergency responders when transferring an individual into their care. The new Arizona law (“Arizona Assisted Living Law”) also calls for several written disclosure requirements that Arizona hospitals must provide to an assisted living facility when transferring and discharging an individual... READ MORE

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals (the “Fifth Circuit”) rendered a significant decision recently in Braidwood Management, Inc. v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. This decision has garnered attention and sparked discussions due to its potential implications for religious freedom, employment law and the rights of individuals in the workplace. Background In Braidwood, the plaintiff was a... READ MORE

Starting on August 1, 2023, Medicare validation edits will be activated to require service location addresses on the UB-04 hospital claim form to match exactly with the service location enrolled in Medicare’s Provider Enrollment, Chain, and Ownership System (“PECOS”). Background In a previous article, we reported on the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services... READ MORE

NATIONAL 340B pay remedy favors hospitals with the least uncompensated care 10 states struggling most with primary care provider shortage 300+ rural hospitals at immediate risk of closure AHA Responds to Senate Bipartisan RFI on the 340B Drug Pricing Program AHA rejects study suggesting PHE funds overpaid hospitals AHCA warns White House about ‘one-size-fits... READ MORE