Articles and Blogs

On October 6, 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) released a memorandum updating the COVID-19 reporting requirements for hospitals and critical access hospitals (together “Hospitals”) and setting forth the enforcement process CMS will follow to address Hospitals’ non-compliance with the reporting requirements (“Memorandum”). The Memorandum can be found here. Details on... READ MORE

With children across the country returning to school amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the upcoming flu season approaching, families can now look to licensed pharmacists to administer childhood vaccines. The United States has experienced a drastic decrease in vaccination rates among children as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic. In an attempt to address... 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 3, 2020, the Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) announced the details of its $2 billion Provider Relief Fund (“PRF”) performance-based incentive payment distribution to nursing homes. “Nursing homes” refers to skilled nursing facilities (often known as SNFs) for Medicare and nursing facilities (often known as NFs) for Medicaid. This $2... READ MORE

On September 1, 2020, the Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) announced that assisted living facilities (“ALFs”) may now apply for funds from the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Provider Relief Fund (the “CARES Act Provider Relief Fund”) under the Phase 2 General Distribution. HHS estimates that nearly one million older adults live in... READ MORE

On August 25, 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) released an Interim Final Rule with comment period (“Rule”) with new requirements and enforcement for Medicare and Medicaid Programs, Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (“CLIA”) and Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as well as additional policy and regulatory revisions in response to... READ MORE

On August 25, 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) released over 200 pages of interim final regulations (the “Interim Final Regulations”) to clarify new enforcement requirements for nursing homes, add requirements for labs to report COVID-19 test results during the public health emergency and require nursing homes to test residents and... READ MORE

In an effort to ensure that skilled nursing homes (“SNFs”) can quickly and regularly test residents and staff for COVID-19, HHS announced the procurement of U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized rapid point-of-care diagnostic test instruments and tests to be distributed to SNFs. HHS intends to initially distribute antigen testing instrument systems and tests... READ MORE

In April 2020, Hall Render published an article detailing state statutory, administrative and common law directives guiding commercial eviction and foreclosure actions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Two months later, the pandemic has far from subsided with many states reporting rising rates of new cases and experts predicting a second wave sometime in the fall,... READ MORE