On February 12, 2021, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the U.S Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the details of its previously-announced discretion in the enforcement of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) and the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act related to […]
The Michigan Department of Health of Human Services (MDHHS) recently announced various support programs to help Michigan residents sign up for and gain access to the COVID-19 vaccine. Methods to obtain a COVID-19 vaccine in Michigan have been difficult for individuals 65 and older; many county local health departments are not offering the vaccine and […]
On January 15, 2021, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released further updates on the reporting requirements for entities that received payments from the Provider Relief Fund (PRF). HHS also pushed back the opening of the PRF reporting portal. The PRF is a $175 billion fund created by Congress through the CARES Act […]
On Tuesday, December 1, 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) released the 2021 Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) final rule, confirming an expansion to telehealth coverage and the scope of non-physician providers. The use of telehealth services increased substantially during the COVID-19 public health emergency. Under the final rule, certain telehealth services will […]
On December 10, 2020, the Office of Civil Rights (“OCR”) at the Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) announced a proposal to modify the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (“HIPAA”) Privacy Rule. The overarching goal of the proposed rule is to get patients more engaged in their own healthcare, provide easier access to […]
On November 9, 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) released the 2020 Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (“CHIP”) managed care final rule. The previous rule was released in 2016 and was extremely strict with its requirements, causing some states to struggle to comply. Since 2016, CMS’s goal has been to reduce […]
Recently, the White House announced it will not postpone implementation of the hospital price transparency rule, set to take effect on January 1, 2021. Based on President Trump’s Executive Order on Improving Price and Quality Transparency in Healthcare, issued on June 24, 2019, CMS released the “Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) Price Transparency Requirements for Hospitals […]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced on September 22, 2020 that the Medicare Prior Authorization Model for Repetitive, Scheduled Non-Emergent Ambulance Transport (RSNAT) will be expanded nationwide. Under this system, Medicare pays ambulances for the transport of patients to their scheduled, non-emergency healthcare appointments. The prior authorization model was launched in 2014 […]
Throughout the onset of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (“COVID-19”) pandemic, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) issued a variety of temporary waivers that expanded reimbursement under Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP for telehealth services. Allowing reimbursement for telehealth encourages patients to reduce the amount of in-person medical encounters, which in turn helps reduce the […]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) recently released a proposal that would alter the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (“MPFS”) and significantly change evaluation and management (“E/M”) code payment rates. Payment rates for services furnished by physicians and other non-physicians are published in the MPFS, and E/M visits account for about 40% of allowed […]
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