On November 12, 2021, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) issued its final guidance for hospitals to clarify how CMS and state agency surveyors will evaluate space-sharing or contracted staff and service arrangements with other hospitals or healthcare
Medicare
President Trump Signs Most Favored National Executive Order
President Trump signed a controversial Executive Order on September 13, 2020 entitled Executive Order on Lowering Drug Prices by Putting America First with the intention of tying drug costs paid by the Medicare program to the costs borne by countries…
President Trump unveils executive orders on lowering drug prices
On Friday, July 24, 2020, President Trump issued three executive orders, and announced a potential fourth executive order, with the stated intention of lowering the cost of prescription drugs in the United States. The general consensus among legal commentators is…
CMS Administrator Publishes Blog Post on Expansion of Medicare Telehealth Services
On Wednesday, July 15, 2020, Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Seema Verma, published a blog post on the Health Affairs Blog discussing CMS’ efforts to expand telehealth for Medicare beneficiaries during the COVID-19 pandemic and…
CMS Issues Second Round of Regulatory Waivers and Rule Changes
Today, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released an additional round of regulatory waivers and rule changes to support the healthcare system during the COVID-19 pandemic. The changes include new rules to expand COVID-19 diagnostic testing, increase care…
COVID-19 Update: HHS Releases Details of CARES Act Provider Relief Fund
On Friday morning April 10, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) released details regarding the first $30 billion in payments under the CARES Act. The CARES Act provides a total of $100 billion in relief funds to…
COVID-19 Update: Senate Unanimously Passes Emergency Stimulus Package
The United States Senate has passed a $2 trillion phase three emergency package, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). The Senate approved the CARES Act on a unanimous vote of 96-0, with three Senators in self-quarantine…
COVID-19 Update: Trump administration expands access to telehealth services for Medicare beneficiaries to combat COVID-19
On Tuesday, March 17, 2020, the Trump administration announced that it will immediately expand access to telehealth services for all Medicare beneficiaries during the COVID-19 outbreak. In coordination with this announcement, the Office for Civil Rights at the Department of…
Allina Update: Supreme Court holds Medicare statute requires notice and comment for DSH payment change
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…
CMS publishes draft “Guidance for Hospital Co-location with Other Hospitals or Healthcare Facilities”
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 …