Since the early stages of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, long term care facilities (LTCFs) have been an epicenter of transmission. Medicare Requirements for Participation for LTCFs include an obligation to establish and...more
6/9/2020
/ CARES Act ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Long Term Care Facilities ,
Medicare ,
Nursing Homes ,
Quality Control Plan ,
Re-Opening Guidelines ,
Safety and Oversight Group (QSO) ,
Surveys
As hospitals and healthcare facilities move toward an uneasy “new normal” and move to re-initiate services and procedures, accrediting organizations will also be ramping up their operations to pre-pandemic levels. However,...more
In light of recent civil unrest within the United States, which has been accompanied by incidents of property damage and large crowd actions, hospitals and healthcare facilities should consider reviewing and ensuring that...more
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued blanket waivers under Section 1135 of the Social Security Act (Section 1135 waivers) on April 30, 2020. Fast on the heels of a more modest waiver announcement on...more
5/7/2020
/ 1135 Waivers ,
CARES Act ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Hospice ,
Long Term Care Facilities ,
OCR ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Relief Measures ,
Telehealth ,
Telemedicine
On April 28, 2020, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued Frequently Asked Questions for Hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals regarding EMTALA (FAQs) as a supplement to the memorandum on the Emergency...more
As previously reported, President Trump’s Opening Up America plans introduce measures to slowly ease business and social restrictions and require enhanced testing and reporting of Coronavirus (COVID-19) incidences in long...more
On April 21, 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued Quality, Safety & Oversight memorandum QSO-20-27-Hospital (QSO Memo), addressed to state survey agencies to provide guidance to independent...more
As the United States came to grips with the far-reaching impact of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in March 2020, many state governments put in place executive orders or other public health decrees (collectively, orders)...more
4/26/2020
/ CARES Act ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Federal Loans ,
Financial Stimulus ,
Health Care Providers ,
Hospitals ,
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ,
Re-Opening Guidelines ,
Small Business ,
Social Distancing ,
Trump Administration
On April 19, 2020, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a Quality, Safety and Oversight Group (QSO) memorandum (QSO-20-26-NH) informing long term care facilities, including nursing homes, about certain...more
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released fact sheets and subsequent guidance detailing regulatory flexibilities for suppliers of Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies (DMEPOS),...more
On March 30, 2020, CMS issued QSO-20-15-REVISED, which updated and expanded the guidance provided in its original QSO-20-15 memorandum issued March 9, 2020, as further described in the On the Subject appended below....more
On April 3, 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued Quality, Safety & Oversight memorandum QSO-20-24-ASC (the QSO Memo), addressed to state survey agencies to provide guidance on processing attestation...more
The updated waivers build upon the more limited set of Section 1135 waivers issued on March 13, 2020, and address common concerns among Medicare providers and suppliers as they deal with the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic....more
4/1/2020
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Emergency Response ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Medicare ,
OCR ,
Physicians ,
Public Health ,
Relief Measures ,
Telehealth ,
Telemedicine ,
Waivers
On March 30, 2020, CMS issued updates to its prior QSO memorandum, expanding its infection control and prevention guidance to include hospitals, critical access hospitals and psychiatric hospitals. The updated QSO memorandum...more
4/1/2020
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Hospitals ,
Medicare ,
Mental Health ,
OCR ,
Psychiatric Hospitals ,
Public Access Laws ,
Public Health ,
Quarantine ,
Relief Measures ,
Telemedicine ,
Waivers
As healthcare providers face surging demand for services arising out of the COVID-19 pandemic, they are simultaneously dealing with related equipment, space and workforce limitations. In this environment, the US Department of...more
4/1/2020
/ Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Best Practices ,
Business Continuity Plans ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Crisis Management ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Disability Discrimination ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Public Health ,
Risk Management ,
Workplace Safety
Intermediate care facilities for individuals with intellectual disabilities (ICF/IIDs) and psychiatric residential treatment facilities (PRTFs) face unique concerns when it comes to providing care and services—and when...more
4/1/2020
/ Business Continuity Plans ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Crisis Management ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Health and Safety ,
Healthcare Facilities ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Public Health ,
Risk Management ,
Workplace Safety
On March 30, 2020, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a Quality, Safety & Oversight Group (QSO) memorandum (QSO-20-22-ASC, CORF, CMHC, OPT, RHC/FQHCs) addressing standards for infection control and...more
4/1/2020
/ Ambulatory Surgery Centers ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Community Care Program ,
Community Health Systems ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Clinics ,
Healthcare Facilities ,
Hospitals ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
Outpatient Services ,
Quality Assurance Programs
Healthcare providers facing emergency requests from government agencies in response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis — including critical issues such as transfers of COVID-19 patients, opening closed facilities and...more
4/1/2020
/ Best Practices ,
Business Continuity Plans ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Crisis Management ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Health and Safety ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare Facilities ,
Hospitals ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Public Health ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Risk Management ,
Workplace Safety
On March 13, 2020, President Donald Trump declared a national emergency under the National Emergencies Act and made an emergency determination under the Stafford Act. This announcement follows the January 31, 2020,...more
In response to the spread of COVID-19 infections and questions from the provider community, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Quality, Safety and Oversight Group (QSO) issued a series of three memoranda...more
California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for California on March 4, 2020, in response to the spread of Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19). The declaration makes additional resources available, formalizes...more
CMS issued three Quality, Safety & Oversight memoranda addressed to state survey agencies and state survey agency directors identifying wide-ranging modifications to the survey and certification process in relation to the...more
HOW SHOULD MULTI-NATIONAL EMPLOYERS APPROACH THE CORONAVIRUS?
Those that employ a global workforce are facing unique challenges with the evolving coronavirus outbreak. The number-one priority of every global employer is...more
3/4/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
EU ,
France ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Multinationals ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Privacy Laws ,
Public Health ,
Risk Management ,
Traveling Employee ,
UK ,
Workplace Safety
Should We Take Additional Precautions? If so, What Proactive Steps Can We Take To Keep Our Workplace healthy and Safe?
Yes. The General Duty Clause of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) requires employers to...more
As more cases emerge highlighting the transmission of COVID-19 from person-to-person contact in the general public rather than through contact with a known infected individual, hospitals and health systems must be ready to...more