When many long-term care providers first hear about USP General Chapter <800> Hazardous Drugs--Handling in Healthcare Settings (“USP 800”), they naturally confuse it with the final EPA hazardous pharmaceuticals rule (“EPA...more
As part of its five-part approach to ensuring safety and quality in nursing homes, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that as of October. 23, 2019, it would begin displaying a consumer alert icon...more
As part of its proposed rule pertaining to CY 2020 changes to the physician fee schedule published in the Federal Register on August 14, 2019, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) also proposes significant...more
In a final rule published in the Federal Register on August 6, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), implemented several important changes in the hospice payment framework and FY 2020 rates, as well as...more
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) proposes a host of changes to the revised Medicare Requirements for Participation (“Requirements for Participation”) that it promulgated in 2016 and an extension of the...more
More than a year after soliciting feedback from stakeholders and the public on areas for reducing the regulatory burden on nursing facilities, the Centers for Medicare and Medicare Services (CMS) on July 18 released...more
Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Inspector General (OIG) issued two companion reports that, together, called for increased regulatory scrutiny of hospices, greater transparency...more
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (OIG) earlier this month issued two companion reports that called for increased regulatory scrutiny of hospices, greater transparency for...more
Health care facilities that provide a host of health care-related services or distribute, sell, or dispense pharmaceuticals will need to learn a whole new set of regulations thanks to a finalized new rule promulgated by the...more
The United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit (“Seventh Circuit”) rejected an Illinois nursing facility’s challenges to an Immediate Jeopardy (“IJ”) citation and resultant $83,800 civil monetary penalty (“CMP”)...more
Citing findings from the Bureau of Labor Statistics which indicate a shortage of nurses through 2024, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a Memorandum - extended its designation of the nursing shortage...more
In Quality, Safety and Oversight (QSO) Group Memorandum QSO 19-02-NH, dated November 30, 2018 (the “November Memorandum”), the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) stated that it would begin providing CMS Regional...more
As part of its Work Plan for 2019, the Department of Health and Human Services’ (DHHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) recently announced its intent to determine the extent to which State long-term care ombudsmen address...more