Articles and Blogs

Wednesday, May 20 Update 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

In a song titled “When the Man Comes Around” Johnny Cash sang that “there’s a man going round, taking names…and he decides who to free and who to blame.” How well hospitals and health systems document their blanket waiver arrangements in response to COVID-19 may dictate whether they are “freed” or “blamed” by CMS... READ MORE

Tuesday, May 19 Update 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

Residential treatment facilities that provide substance use disorder (“SUD”) or other sensitive health services, such as mental health, behavioral health or developmental disability diagnosis and treatment, are again faced with a dilemma this year: do they provide patient information to the U.S. Census Bureau (the “Bureau”) enumerators to comply with the 2020 Census group... READ MORE

On May 11, 2020, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services published a policy memorandum providing temporary flexibility for physicians completing a J-1 waiver service obligation during the COVID-19 pandemic. The policy memorandum addresses the full-time work requirement and telehealth services for these physicians in light of the Public Health Emergency issued in response to the... READ MORE

On May 11, 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) released the 2021 Inpatient Prospective Payment System (“IPPS”) Proposed Rule (“Proposed Rule”). One of the most significant updates is the proposed addition of a new requirement to the Medicare cost report submission process. Specifically, hospitals would be required to provide the median... READ MORE

States like Indiana, Connecticut and Maine are offering to pay nursing homes a higher per diem for COVID-19 presumptive residents or a higher percentage reimbursement rate if a nursing home qualifies as a “COVID-19 ready” facility, as discussed in our recent article here. As nursing homes assess, plan for and take actions to qualify... READ MORE

As COVID-19-related testing capabilities increase along with other kinds of desired laboratory tests, clinical laboratories are encountering heightened volumes resulting from rising demand for services. Recovery homes and clinical treatment facilities may also see heightened demand for services stemming from the COVID-19 fall-out. In addition to this demand, these entities may wish to promote... READ MORE

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