In the face of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the US president’s National Emergency Declaration, issued on March 13, set in motion several actions required of other agencies to provide the regulatory relief needed to ensure that healthcare providers have flexibility in responding quickly to the growing need in the United States.
Health Law Scan
Legal Insights and Perspectives for the Healthcare Industry
CMS issued program instructions on March 17 (through a Fact Sheet and FAQ) to implement the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act (CPRSAA), which was enacted on March 6 in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis.
The Morgan Lewis healthcare team is keeping up to date on all of the developments surrounding coronavirus (COVID-19). We have compiled a list of our recent publications for ease of access.
In this LawFlash, Morgan Lewis healthcare industry partner Susan Feigin Harris analyzes recent CMS guidance on Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) requirements and implications related to the coronavirus (COVID-19).
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a statement on March 9 related to actions the agency is taking to protect the health and safety of patients and providers. CMS urges providers to stay abreast of CDC guidance on the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19).
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) unveiled the Healthy Adult Opportunity initiative on January 30.
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), which advises Congress on Medicare issues, recently finalized and approved a series of recommended updates on January 16 that include payment reductions for hospice and home health.
Continuing to look for ways to reduce the Medicare administrative law judge (ALJ) appeals backlog, CMS has explored enhancing the role of Qualified Independent Contractors (QICs) to resolve disputed claims earlier in the appeals process. Its main pilot in this area is the Telephone and Reopening Process Demonstration (Demonstration), which affords certain providers the ability to present their case to a representative of the QIC and have a live discussion about the merits of the appeal.
The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of General Counsel (OGC) offered the healthcare industry the benefit of its legal analysis of the recent US Supreme Court opinion in Azar v. Allina Health Services (Allina) with respect to its impact on Medicare payment rules, sharing its Memorandum to the Principal Deputy Administrator & Director of the Center for Medicare dated October 31, 2019 (OGC Memo) with the public.
The government watchdog agencies continue to focus their attention on Medicare oversight of hospice providers, with two recent reports from the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) and the HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) focused in large part on ways to improve hospice surveys and nursing care oversight deficiencies.