As discussed in our client alert, recent legal developments have greatly expanded funding for and access to telehealth services during the COVID-19 crisis.

Among the changes instituted by HHS are expanded Medicare coverage and payment for services, reduced or waived cost-sharing obligations for physicians, and loosening of the HIPAA enforcement policies for covered entities

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a draft guidance for state survey agencies on May 3, 2019, impacting hospitals that share space, staff, and/or services with another co-located hospital or health care entity. The draft builds on informally followed principles by CMS employees which emphasized that certain payment rules, like those for

Today President Obama signed into law H.R. 2, the “Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015” (MACRA), which reforms Medicare payment policy for physician services and adopts a series of policy changes affecting a wide range of providers and suppliers. Most notably, MACRA permanently repeals the statutory Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula, achieving a goal that has eluded Congress for years. Now, after a period of stable payment updates, MACRA will link physician payment updates to quality, value measurements, and participation in alternative payment models.
Continue Reading President Obama Signs MACRA: Permanently Reforms Medicare Physician Reimbursement Framework, Includes Other Health Policy Provisions

On February 2, 2015, the Obama Administration released its proposed federal budget for fiscal year (FY) 2016. The budget would impact all types of health care providers, health plans, and drug manufacturers if adopted as proposed – which is unlikely given Republican control of the House and Senate. Nevertheless, Congress can be expected to consider the Medicare and Medicaid savings proposals (many of which are carry-overs from prior budgets) during expected debate in the coming months on Medicare physician fee schedule (MPFS) reform legislation or during future budget negotiations. The following is a summary of the major Medicare, Medicaid, and related policy proposals contained in the FY 2016 budget proposal.
Continue Reading Obama Administration Releases FY 2016 Budget Proposal with Medicare/Medicaid Provisions

CMS has released the Medicare Part A inpatient hospital deductible and hospital and extended care services coinsurance amounts for 2015. Specifically, the 2015 Part A deductible for hospital inpatient admissions for the first 60 days of care will be $1,260, followed by $315 per day for days 61-90 and $630 per day for stays beyond

CMS has published corrections to its August 22, 2014 final update to the Medicare Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) and the Long-Term Care Hospital Prospective Payment System for FY 2015. Among other things, CMS made technical errors in its calculation of the operating and capital IPPS budget neutrality factors, outlier threshold, operating standardized amounts,

CMS has published a final rule that updates prospective payment rates for Medicare inpatient hospital services provided by inpatient psychiatric facilities (IPFs) for FY 2015. Under the final rule, the federal per diem base rate will be increased by 2.1%, reflecting a market basket increase of 2.9%, offset by a 0.3 percentage point reduction

CMS has announced a new “Medicare Intravenous Immune Globulin (IVIG) Demonstration” that will evaluate the potential benefits of providing payment for items and services needed for in-home administration of IVIG for the treatment of primary immune deficiency disease (PIDD). Under this demonstration, which will last three years, Medicare will provide a bundled Part B payment

On June 13, 2014, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) released its June 2014 Report to the Congress on Medicare and the Health Care Delivery System. Among other things, MedPAC addresses ways to align Medicare fee-for-service (FFS), Medicare Advantage, and accountable care organization policies on payment, risk adjustment, and quality measurement. MedPAC also discusses various

On the heels of its proposed rule to expand its health program exclusion authority, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) of the Department of Health and Human Services has published a proposed rule that would amend the health care program civil monetary penalty (CMP) regulations. The rule would codify the OIG’s expanded statutory authority under the Affordable Care Act to impose CMPs on providers and suppliers and would allow for significant penalties in a variety of scenarios, some of which could extend beyond what is currently permitted.

Reed Smith attorneys have prepared a Client Alert summarizing and analyzing the OIG’s proposed rule, including the various scenarios under which CMPs could be issued under the proposed regulations, such as: failure to report and return an overpayment; failure to grant OIG timely access to records upon request; ordering or prescribing items or services while excluded from a federal health care program, as well as arranging or contracting with an individual or entity who meets this criteria; making false statements or omitting or misrepresenting material facts in an application, bid, or contract; and failing to submit or certify drug-pricing and product information in a timely manner. In addition, the alert covers the changes in technical language proposed by OIG to clarify and more clearly define the scope of CMP regulations.
Continue Reading OIG Proposed Rule Would Expand Civil Monetary Penalty Authority

In early April, Reed Smith hosted an enlightening conference entitled “Reed Smith 2014 Washington Health Care Conference: Focus on Post-Acute Care” in Washington, D.C. The conference brought together a panel of experts to discuss episodic care, bundling models, and alternative payment and delivery systems, as well as other speakers to present from the perspective of investors and Capitol Hill. The conference was capped with a stimulating keynote address from American Enterprise Institute resident scholar Dr. Norman Ornstein on the current polarized nature of American politics, particularly in regards to national health policy.
Continue Reading Highlights from Reed Smith’s Post-Acute Care Conference

CMS is instructing Medicare providers and suppliers that the updated version of the Medicare claim form (CMS 1500 form version 02/12) must be used for all Medicare paper claims received on and after April 1, 2014. The new form includes indicators to differentiate between ICD-9 and ICD-10 codes, identifies whether certain providers have performed an

This post was written by Nancy Sheliga.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has released a report examining the effect of prior health insurance coverage on Medicare beneficiaries. The report specifically focuses on the health status, program spending, and use of services by Medicare beneficiaries with and without continuous health insurance coverage before Medicare enrollment.

Citing a “rapid and overwhelming increase in claim appeals,” the HHS Office of Medicare Hearings and Appeals (OMHA) has temporarily suspended the assignment of most new provider requests for an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) hearing. In a memorandum to high-volume appellants dated December 24, 2013, Chief ALJ Nancy Griswold announced that the suspension, which

The OIG has issued a report focusing on individual clinicians who generated high cumulative Medicare Part B payments (defined for purposes of this report as more than $3 million in Part B services) in 2009. Out of 303 such clinicians identified by the OIG, 34% had been identified for improper payment reviews, and as of

On January 9, 2014, the House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee is holding a hearing on “The Extenders Policies: What Are They and How Should They Continue Under a Permanent SGR (Sustainable Growth Rate) Repeal Landscape?” The so-called extenders are measures that secure the continuation of various temporary Medicare payment and policy revisions impacting hospitals,