Articles and Blogs

On April 10, 2020, FEMA published a temporary final rule giving the Agency the authority to block the export of critical PPE during the COVID-19 pandemic, including masks, respirators (and their filters and cartridges), non-sterile gloves and surgical gloves. The rule is effective until August 8, 2020. Prioritization and Allocation of Certain Scarce or Threatened... READ MORE

HHS announced that it will begin to deliver the initial $30 billion of the $100 billion from the CARES Act Provider Relief Funding on April 10. Payments are being made via direct deposit to health care providers and suppliers (“Recipients”) in most cases. Several Recipients reported receiving the funds immediately after or even before... READ MORE

 NATIONAL Compliance with CMS guidance could cost providers $10K more per day Coronavirus-related FEMA docs show shortage of medical supplies requested by states COVID-19 and its impact on physician compensation COVID-19 Crisis Triggers More HIPAA Policy Changes COVID-19 pandemic opens up new frontiers for health data privacy HHS awards $1.3B to health centers in... READ MORE

Thursday, April 9 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 Releases New Waivers for Health Care Facilities COVID-19 Response CMS issued... READ MORE

At the COVID-19 White House briefing on April 7, 2020, CMS Administrator Seema Verma provided additional information on the distribution of the $100 billion health care relief fund (“Fund”) to health care entities as provided in the CARES Act. After the briefing, CMS sent out a press release giving an update on requests under... READ MORE

Wednesday, April 8 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.​ Congressional Outlook Today, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Minority Leader... READ MORE

Section 3709 of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act of 2020 (“CARES Act”) temporarily suspends Medicare sequestration for the period of May 1 through December 31, 2020. As a result, health care providers can expect to receive an increase in fee-for-service Medicare payments by approximately 2% as compared to what they would... READ MORE

Tuesday, April 7 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 Provides More Information on CARES Act Funding At the White House... READ MORE

Monday, April 6 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.​ Congressional Outlook The House and Senate remain in recess until at least... READ MORE

On April 3, 2020, OIG released a Policy Statement indicating OIG will exercise its enforcement discretion not to impose administrative sanctions under the federal Anti-Kickback Statute (“AKS”) for certain financial arrangements related to a COVID-19 purpose that are covered under the Blanket Stark waivers issued by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health... READ MORE