Articles and Blogs

NATIONAL 39 health systems declare racism a public health crisis, vow to fight it Analysis of FDA safety alerts spurs call for changes to medical device adverse event reporting Cyberattack hobbles major hospital chain’s US facilities, staff forced to use paper records Federal report offers crisis strategies for LTC providers ‘Free’ federal COVID-19 testing... READ MORE

The Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund (“Relief Fund”) was originally appropriated $100 billion from the CARES Act to provide payment to hospitals and other health care entities for COVID‑19-related expenses and lost revenue. The Relief Fund later received an additional $75 billion appropriation through the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement... READ MORE

Mergers and acquisitions in the health care industry present unique challenges that are not often present when undertaking similar transactions in other industries.  Because of health care’s highly regulated nature, parties may falter if a health care transaction is not reviewed and negotiated carefully with respect to the distinct concerns that health care presents.... READ MORE

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

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