Last week, President Donald Trump signed a bill for short-term government funding that adjusted guidelines for repayment terms and the Department of Health and Human Services released over $20 billion in subsequent funding. What HHS calls “Phase 3” will include parameters for even more providers and additional payouts.
As reported...Arizona News
Value-based care has been in the forefront of public discussion on healthcare due not only to the COVID-19 pandemic but the election and updates that CMS has recently made. This week, the focus on value-based care has centered primarily on transitioning to value-based care models and the technological possibilities to make these programs...Health Related Groups
According to an undercover audit completed by the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office, some health insurance brokers provided misleading or false information to potential customers about whether their plans covered preexisting conditions.
The audit was requested by Senate Democrats with the intention of determining whether...Arizona News
The COVID-19 pandemic and coinciding economic recession are creating big difficulties for state budgets and Arizona is certainly no exception. As people lose jobs, Medicaid enrollment will grow. Experts are estimating between 5 and 15 million new people will enroll in Medicaid programs by the end of the year.
Health Affairs...National News
Last Thursday, the Department of Health and Human Services announced a $2 billion relief fund for nursing homes. This follows $5 billion in support for nursing facilities dealing with the impacts of COVID-19, with other support training and safety improvements to follow.
Skilled nursing facilities, especially senior care...National News
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services granted itself more time to finalize a rule that would revise Stark Law, which prohibits self-referrals by physicians. In a note in the Federal Register, the agency said the rule would not come before the August 31, 2020 deadline and extended it through August 2021.
In a statement to...National News
Pharmaceutical manufacturers are moving to reject 340B discounts through pharmacies and are demanding more data on the program’s efficacy.
Much to the chagrin of hospitals nationwide that have become accustomed to the 340B program, the drug companies are testing the limits of their abilities to challenge regulation...National News
On August 17, a federal judge determined that the Health and Human Services rule rescinding Obama era protections for transgender people is unconstitutional, citing a United States Supreme Court decision from June.
In June, the Department of Health and Human Services put forth a final rule that walked back protections for...Arizona News
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announced that it gave $117 million to federally qualified health centers for quality improvement. 1,318 health centers were awarded grants, including 23 in Arizona.
The HRSA one-time grants are awarded annually to health centers that can use the funding to “strengthen...Arizona News
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has strongly encouraged nursing homes to increase their efforts in controlling COVID-19 inside facilities after the number of residents infected reached a record high, and as new deaths have started rising once again.
Arizona is close to reopening nursing homes to visitors after...Arizona News
On August 6, a report from from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children's Hospital Association showed that Arizona led the nation in COVID-19 infections in children.
Arizona's rate of cases in children and young adults ages 19 and younger is 1,206.4 per 100,000. Most cases of COVID-19 in children are less severe than...Arizona News
Last week, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia overturned a decision that said the Trump administration did not have the authority to reduce subsidies from Medicare for the 340B Drug Pricing Program.
The 340B program allows hospitals to buy medications at large discounts, but many have objected to this...National News
Last week, President Donald Trump shocked pharmaceutical companies by signing three executive orders (EOs) that will influence drug prices in favor of consumers, according to the White House.
One of the EOs, which would revive a 2018 rule that was nixed following negotiations with pharmaceutical companies, included an invitation...CMS Rules
A U.S. Department of Health and Human Services watchdog reported that Seema Verma, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services chief, mishandled millions of dollars in federal contracts that ultimately benefited friends and former Trump officials.
The Office of Inspector General Report concluded Verma violated federal contracting...Arizona News
The volume of telehealth claim lines increased more than 8,335% in April 2020 compared to April 2019 as the pandemic continues to drive utilization.
Mental health diagnoses drove visits, followed by joint and soft tissue conditions and hypertension, suggesting more privately insured patients turned to telehealth to manage chronic...National News
The Bipartisan Policy Center released a report this week which strongly suggested that the Medicaid program should make primary care an immediate priority for patients. The think tank directed the release at Congress, calling on them to support a comprehensive infrastructure to improve primary care and fully fund the Primary Care...Arizona News
On Monday, an HHS spokesman confirmed that the department will extend the national public health emergency for COVID-19 that would otherwise expire on July 25th. The announcement comes as Arizona activates surge plans but resists enacting a full second shutdown of businesses in the state.
Health and Human Services spokesman...Arizona News
Earlier this month, HHS repealed protections for transgender individuals seeking medical care and three days later, the United States Supreme Court delivered a ruling defending LGBT people from discrimination in the workplace under Title VII.
These two major changes in how the law impacts care for sexual and reproductive health...Arizona News
An investigation by Bloomberg Law this week uncovered that over $36 billion in interest-free loans from Medicare have gone to companies that have settled on cases accusing them of Medicare or Medicaid fraud in the past.
Healthcare providers could apply for these loans during the pandemic for expected cash flow shortages having to...Arizona News
On Tuesday, the Department of Health and Human Services announced funding relief for providers that rely exclusively on Medicaid reimbursements following months of pleading by providers, industry professionals and politicians.
Organizations like the American Hospital Association, America’s Essential Hospitals and the American Health...
