Thomas Dowdell (US)

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CMS Publishes CY 2020 OPPS & ASC Price Transparency Requirements Final Rule and Transparency in Coverage Proposed Rule

On November 15, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published the Calendar Year (CY) 2020 Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) & Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) Price Transparency Requirements for Hospitals to Make Standard Changes Public final rule and the Transparency in Coverage proposed rule. CMS intends through this rulemaking to increase price transparency … Continue reading

CMS Proposes Major Changes in Medicaid Fiscal Accountability Rule

By Jeff Wurzburg (US) and Thomas Dowdell (US) on November 20, 2019 Posted in General, News from DC, Regulatory

On November 12, 2019, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published a proposed rule for public inspection entitled Medicaid Fiscal Accountability Regulation. CMS states that the intent of the proposed rule is to ensure that state supplemental payments and financing arrangements under the Medicaid program are consistent with federal statutory requirements. In a … Continue reading

CMS Releases Final Rule on CY 2020 Physician Fee Schedule Updates and Implements Opioid Use Disorder Treatment Programs

By Jeff Wurzburg (US), Thomas Dowdell (US) and Mark Faccenda (US) on November 12, 2019 Posted in Enforcement, News from DC, Regulatory

On November 1, 2019, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final rule that updates the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) rates and policies for calendar year (CY) 2020 and expands Medicare coverage to opioid treatment programs (OTPs) that treat beneficiaries with opioid use disorder (OUD). In a fact sheet accompanying the … Continue reading

CY 2020 Medicare Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System and Ambulatory Surgical Center Payment System Final Rule

By Thomas Dowdell (US), Mark Faccenda (US) and Jeff Wurzburg (US) on November 11, 2019 Posted in FDA & Food Safety, News from DC, Regulatory

On November 1, 2019, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published its CY 2020 Medicare Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) and Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) Payment System final rule. The final rule implements a number of significant changes to payment policies and rates for services furnished to Medicare beneficiaries in hospital outpatient … Continue reading

CMS Issues Final Rule Implementing CY 2020 Home Health Prospective Payment System Updates, Other Policy Changes for Home Health Agencies, and Payment Policies for CY 2021 Home Health Infusion Therapy Services Benefit

By Thomas Dowdell (US) on November 4, 2019 Posted in Regulatory

On October 31, 2019, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released its final rule with comment period that sets forth updates to the home health prospective payment system (HH PPS) for calendar year (CY) 2020 and includes other policy changes for home health agencies (HHA). This final rule also finalizes payment policies for … Continue reading

US regulators to align key health care regulations with transformation to value-based care system; CMS and OIG propose major overhaul of Stark Law and AKS regulations

By Thomas Dowdell (US), Debbi Johnstone (US), Stacey Murphy (US) and Benjamin Wallfisch (US) on October 14, 2019 Posted in General, News from DC, Regulatory

On October 9, 2019, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) issued two sweeping proposals aimed at revising the Stark Law and Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS) regulations to adapt to and promote the US health care system’s transformation to value-based payment … Continue reading

U.S. District Court vacates CY 2019 OPPS final rule reducing Medicare payment rates for evaluation and management services furnished in hospital excepted off-campus provider-based departments

By Thomas Dowdell (US) on September 18, 2019 Posted in Regulatory

On September 17, United States District Judge Rosemary M. Collyer, United States District Court for the District of Columbia, ruled that CMS in its CY 2019 OPPS final rule reducing Medicare payment rates for evaluation and management (E/M) services furnished to Medicare beneficiaries in hospital excepted off-campus hospital provider-based departments exceeded its statutory authority and … Continue reading

CMS releases FY 2020 IPPS and LTCH PPS final rule

By Jeff Wurzburg (US), Mark Faccenda (US) and Thomas Dowdell (US) on August 9, 2019 Posted in Regulatory

On August 2, 2019, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published its Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 Medicare Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) and Long Term Acute Care Hospital (LTCH) Prospective Payment System (PPS) final rule (CMS-1716-F). The final rule is scheduled to be published in the Federal Register on August 16, 2019. … Continue reading

CMS Publishes FY 2020 Medicare Hospital IPPS and LTCH PPS Final Rule

By Thomas Dowdell (US) on August 2, 2019 Posted in Regulatory

On August 2, 2019, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published its Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 Medicare Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) and Long Term Care Acute Care Hospital (LTCH) Prospective Payment System (PPS) final rule (CMS-1716-F). The final rule is scheduled to be published in the Federal Register on August 16, … Continue reading

CMS Publishes FY 2020 Final Rules for IRF PPS and Hospice Payments

By Thomas Dowdell (US) on August 1, 2019 Posted in Regulatory

On July 31, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published two federal fiscal year (FY) 2020 final rules – inpatient rehabilitation facility (IRF) prospective payment system (PPS) and hospice payments.… Continue reading

CMS Publishes FY 2020 Final Rules for Inpatient Psychiatric Facility PPS and Skilled Nursing Facility PPS

By Thomas Dowdell (US) on July 31, 2019 Posted in Regulatory

On July 30, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published two federal fiscal year 2020 final rules: (i) inpatient psychiatric facilities (IPFs) prospective payment system (PPS) and quality reporting updates; and (ii) skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) PPS and consolidated billing, including updates to the quality reporting program and value-based purchasing program.… Continue reading

CMS Publishes CY 2020 Proposed Rules for Hospital OPPS and ASC, MPFS, and ESRD and DMEPOS Policies and Payments

By Thomas Dowdell (US) on July 30, 2019 Posted in Regulatory

On July 29, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published three proposed rules for Calendar Year (CY) 2020: Medicare Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) and Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) Payment System Proposed Rule; Proposed Policy, Payment, and Quality Provisions Changes to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS); and End State Renal Disease … Continue reading

Allina Update: Supreme Court holds Medicare statute requires notice and comment for DSH payment change

By Yvonne Puig (US), Thomas Dowdell (US), Frances Morgan (US) and Jeff Wurzburg (US) on June 4, 2019 Posted in News from DC

In a decision with potentially far reaching implications for Medicare hospital reimbursement, on June 3 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 7-1 against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) in Azar v. Allina Health Services. The Court affirmed the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit decision that vacated a rate calculation … Continue reading

CMS publishes draft “Guidance for Hospital Co-location with Other Hospitals or Healthcare Facilities”

By Thomas Dowdell (US) on May 6, 2019 Posted in Regulatory

On May 3, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published its long-awaited draft “Guidance for Hospital Co-location with Other Hospitals or Healthcare Facilities.” The draft guidance is specific to compliance with the general Conditions of Participation for hospitals (CoPs) and does not address the specific location and separateness requirements that apply to other … Continue reading

CMS publishes 2020 IPPS and LTCH Proposed Rule

By Thomas Dowdell (US) on April 24, 2019 Posted in News from DC

On Tuesday, April 23, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published its Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 Medicare Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) and Long Term Acute Care Hospital (LTCH) Prospective Payment System Proposed Rule and Request for Information. The proposed rule is available here. A CMS Fact Sheet describing the final rule … Continue reading

CMS rings in the new year with overhaul of MSSP ACOs

By Thomas Dowdell (US) and Joseph Keillor (US) on January 3, 2019 Posted in News from DC

On December 21, 2018, CMS issued a mammoth 957 page “Pathways to Success” final rule, which overhauls shared savings/losses tracks for Medicare Shared Savings Program Accountable Care Organizations (MSSP ACOs) to push ACOs into shared risk models more quickly, among other program changes. Largely consistent with the proposed rule as we summarized here, the final … Continue reading

CMS significantly expands its Medicare site-neutral payment policy

By Thomas Dowdell (US) on November 5, 2018 Posted in News from DC

We previously summarized certain provisions of CMS’s CY 2019 OPPS/ASC final rule published on November 2. See here. In this final rule CMS significantly expands its Medicare site-neutral payment policy beginning January 1, 2019. As we previously described, CMS did not finalize its proposal that an excepted off-campus provider-based department (PBD) will be paid under … Continue reading

CMS publishes CY 2019 changes to hospital outpatient prospective payment and ambulatory surgical center payment systems and quality reporting programs final rule

By Thomas Dowdell (US) on November 5, 2018 Posted in News from DC

On November 2, CMS published its CY 2019 hospital outpatient prospective payment and ambulatory surgical center payment systems and quality reporting programs final rule. In the final rule CMS implements its proposal to pay clinic visit services performed in excepted off-campus provider-based departments (PBDs) a Medicare Physician Fee Schedule – equivalent payment rate. These services … Continue reading

CMS publishes CY 2019 Home Health and Home Infusion Therapy final rule

By Thomas Dowdell (US) and Sarah Jean Kilker (US) on November 2, 2018 Posted in News from DC

Earlier this summer the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published its Calendar Year (CY) 2019 home health agency (HHA) and home infusion therapy supplier payment updates proposed rule. On October 31, CMS published its CY 2019 final rule, which alters Medicare quality and payment reporting processes for HHAs under the Home Health Prospective … Continue reading

CMS proposes significant Medicare OPPS and ASC payment system changes for 2019

By Thomas Dowdell (US) and Jeff Wurzburg (US) on July 26, 2018 Posted in Regulatory

On July 25, 2018, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services published its 2019 Medicare hospital outpatient prospective payment system (OPPS) and ambulatory surgical center (ASC) payment system proposed rule. A fact sheet describing the proposed rule is available here. The proposed rule can be accessed here. CMS proposes to update hospital OPPS payment rates … Continue reading

GAO releases report on the differences between 340B and non-340B hospitals

By Thomas Dowdell (US) on July 26, 2018 Posted in News from DC

On June 18, the United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report on the 340B program, entitled “Drug Discount Program: Characteristics of Hospitals Participating and Not Participating in the 340B Program.” The 340B Drug Discount Program requires drug manufacturers to provide discounts on outpatient drugs to certain categories of eligible hospitals. Hospitals that serve … Continue reading

CMS issues CY 2019 home health proposed rule

By Thomas Dowdell (US) on July 26, 2018 Posted in Regulatory

On July 12, 2018, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published its calendar year (CY) 2019 proposed rule for Medicare payment updates and proposed quality reporting changes for home health agencies (HHA) under the home health prospective payment system (HH PPS). CMS proposes certain changes to Medicare payment and quality reporting standards for … Continue reading

House Subcommittee on Health holds hearing on 340B program

By Thomas Dowdell (US) on July 18, 2018 Posted in News from DC

On July 11, the U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health held a hearing on the 340B program, entitled “Opportunities to Improve the 340B Drug Pricing Program.” In his opening statement, Subcommittee Chairman Michael Burgess (R-TX) stated that it is reasonable to review the 340B program because healthcare has “evolved significantly” since … Continue reading

Status of Medicaid reform in Kentucky, Mississippi and Maine

By Thomas Dowdell (US) on July 12, 2018 Posted in News from DC

On January 11, 2018, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) sent a letter to State Medicaid Directors that signaled their support of section 1115 demonstration projects that include work or community engagement requirements, as previously summarized in the Health Law Pulse. CMS prompted State Medicaid Directors to respond to this letter with proposals … Continue reading