The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:45 p.m. on Friday, July 16.  Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents.

White House

• The White House has posted a transcript of the July 16 press briefing given by its COVID-19 response team and public health officials.

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

Health Policy News

• CMS is providing notifications to facilities that were determined to be out of compliance with Quality Reporting Program (QRP) requirements for CY 2020, which will affect their FY 2022 Annual Payment Update (APU).  Non-compliance notifications are being distributed by the Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) and were placed into facilities’ CASPER folders in QIES, for Hospice and SNFs, and into facilities’ My Reports folders in iQIES for IRFs and LTCHs onJuly 14, 2021.  Facilities that receive a letter of non-compliance may submit a request for reconsideration to CMS via email no later than11:59 pm on August 13, 2021. Facilities that receive a notice of non-compliance and would like to request a reconsideration should see the instructions in their notice of non-compliance and on the appropriate QRP webpage:
  • IRF Quality Reporting Reconsideration

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:30 p.m. on Monday, June 28.  Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents.

Supreme Court Decision in Affordable Care Act Case

• The Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal of a case in which insurers unsuccessfully sued to recover reductions in their Affordable Care Act federal cost-sharing reduction payments.

White House

• The White House has posted a transcript of the June 22 press briefing given by its COVID-19 response team and public health officials.

Department of Health and Human Services

COVID-19

• HHS and the FDA have paused all distribution of bamlanivimab and etesevimab together and etesevimab alone, to pair with existing supply of bamlanivimab, on a national basis until further notice.  In addition, the FDA has recommended that health care providers nation-wide use alternative authorized monoclonal antibody therapies and not use bamlanivimab and etesevimab administered together at this time.  Learn more about why the agencies have taken this action and what they propose as alternatives from this message distributed by HHS’s Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response,
• HHS’s Office of the Inspector General has published a

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 15.  Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents.

Provider Relief Fund

• Late last week HHS announced that it has increased the amount of time providers will have to report information and extended key deadlines for expending Provider Relief Fund payments for recipients that received payments after June 30, 2020.  The revised reporting requirements will be applicable to providers that received one or more payments exceeding, in the aggregate, $10,000 during a single payment-received period from the Provider Relief Fund General Distributions, Targeted Distributions, and/or Skilled Nursing Facility and Nursing Home Infection Control Distributions.  For additional information, see the following resources:
  • the HHS/HRSA announcement
  • the revised reporting requirements
  • the Provider Relief Fund reporting portal
  • the Provider Relief Fund reporting portal FAQ

HHS also has updated its Provider Relief Fund FAQ to reflect those changes.  The changes in the FAQ, which address how much time fund recipients have to spend their grants, how they must report on their spending, how audits will be conducted, and how certain data elements in the reporting requirements are defined, can be found …

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 3.  Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents.

White House

Health Policy News

• Late last week the Biden administration released its proposed FY 2022 budget.  Most of the health care provisions had already been disclosed and discussed prior to the formal budget release.  For additional information about the proposed budget, see the following resources:
  • A budget in brief document.
  • An OMB summary.
  • An OMB budget fact sheet.

COVID-19

• President Biden announced a “National Month of Action” to mobilize a drive to get 70 percent of U.S. adults at least one COVID-19 shot by July 4.  Throughout the month, national organizations, local government leaders, community-based and faith-based partners, businesses, employers, social media influencers, celebrities, athletes, colleges, young people, and thousands of volunteers across the nation will be asked to work together to get their communities vaccinated.  Learn more about the various facets of this campaign in this administration fact sheet.

Congress

• Representative Frank Pallone, chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and Senator Patty Murray, chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee,

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:15 p.m. on Wednesday, May 19.  Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents.

NASH Advocacy

• NASH has written to all members of Congress urging them to contact Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra about directing more of its remaining CARES Act Provider Relief Fund money to private safety-net hospitals to help them serve their diverse, predominantly low-income communities during the COVID-19 emergency.  Go here to see NASH’s message to Congress.

The White House

COVID-19

• The White House has posted a transcript of the May 18 press briefing by its COVID-19 response team and public health officials.

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

Health Policy News

• CMS has updated documents in support of a 2016 regulation that seeks to establish consistent emergency preparedness requirements for health care providers participating in Medicare and Medicaid, increase patient safety during emergencies, and establish a more coordinated response to natural and human-caused disasters.  These updated documents combine excerpts from the final rule, the interpretive guidelines, and revisions from CMS to provide a consolidated overview document for the facilities that must comply with the rule.