The U.S. House of Representatives has voted to extend the moratorium on Medicare payment sequestration through Dec. 31. The moratorium, established through the CARES Act, was set to expire March 31. The bill will now go to the Senate. In Dec. 2020 Reps. Brad Schneider (D-IL) and David McKinley (R-WV) introduced the Medicare Sequester COVID Moratorium […]
American Medical Association
A number of health care industry organizations — including the National Hospice & Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) and the National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) — have written to congressional leaders requesting an extension of the temporary suspension of reimbursement sequestration. The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) suspended sequestration for […]
A booming value-based payment market in Puerto Rico may have indications for programs emerging in the United States beginning next year. Mainland U.S. hospice providers may face similar risks and rewards when weighing participation in the forthcoming payment demonstration to test the inclusion of hospice in Medicare Advantage. Commonly called the hospice carve-in, the U.S. […]
The U.S. Supreme Court is mulling whether it will hear arguments in a False Claims Act (FCA) case involving the hospice provider Care Alternatives. FCA actions pertaining to hospices most commonly focus on questions of a patient’s eligibility for those services. A 2019 report from the law firm of Bass, Barry, and Sims indicated that […]
Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) telemedicine rules are complicating hospice and palliative care patients’ access to necessary medications during the coronavirus pandemic. Some stakeholders have called on regulators to allow the use of audio-only telehealth for patient encounters that involve opioid prescriptions. During the COVID-19 national emergency, the DEA has waived certain requirements to allow providers […]
A group of 370 health care industry groups — including the American Academy of Hospice & Palliative Medicine, the American Medical Association and National Association of Social Workers — have signed a letter sent to Congress encouraging legislators to pass the Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2019. If enacted, the legislation would […]