The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently expanded tribal health care reimbursement options in state-based and pediatric programs. The move could help palliative care providers improve access and disparities among underserved indigenous populations. CMS has approved coverage amendments that allow certain state Medicaid programs and Children’s Health Insurance Programs (CHIP) to cover […]
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
A California-based physician is suing the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in response to fraud allegations that have resulted in licensure and billing privilege revocation. Dr. Rami Moustafa Shaarawy recently filed a civil action lawsuit against HHS, CMS and Noridian Healthcare Solutions […]
Members of Congress are raising questions about the continued Medicare certification for new hospices in areas rife with fraud. U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra fielded questions in a House Ways & Means committee hearing on Capitol Hill on Wednesday. Rep. Michelle Steel (R-Calif.) and Rep. Beth Van Duyne (R-Texas) fired questions […]
Telehealth flexibilities must become permanent U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra indicated in a congressional hearing today. At the end of this year, telehealth flexibilities implemented during the pandemic are slated to expire. In a hearing before the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee Becerra said that HHS was willing to make […]
Hospices and other post-acute health care providers lag behind hospitals and ambulatory settings when it comes to electronic health record (EMR) interoperability. More than 85% of ambulatory practices and 95% of hospitals have adopted and use some form of EMR to document patient care and share data to varying degrees, according to a new report […]
Medicare fee-for-service programs made $31.23 billion in improper payments during 2023, though a smaller proportion of those dollars went to hospices than in years prior. Hospices received nearly 5.4% of improper payments from Medicare in 2023, down from 12% in 2022, according to a new report from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services […]
When Interim HealthCare and Caring Brands International CEO Jennifer Sheets speaks about hospice length of stay, it “strikes a nerve.” A disconnect exists between the ways providers perceive hospice lengths of stay and the views of regulators. Generally, providers point out the research showing that stays of six months or longer correlate with improved patient […]
In what the agency is calling an effort to promote industry competition and protect consumers, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is making hospice-ownership data publicly available. HHS is also releasing ownership data for all Medicare-certified home health agencies, the department specified in a Thursday announcement. Federal health care officials had already […]
On the matter of hospice program integrity, policymakers have many questions and few answers. U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra appeared yesterday on Capitol Hill for a hearing on President Biden’s proposed federal budget, during which several Congress members raised the issue of hospice fraud. The key issue in these discussions is a […]