New guidance released by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on April 1, 2024, clarified that hospitals will not be eligible for Medicare or Medicaid...more
On April 1, 2024, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”), through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”), Center for Clinical Standards and Quality/Quality, Safety & Oversight Group, issued new...more
Looking for compliance education and networking in your area? HCCA’s Regional Healthcare Compliance Conferences offer practitioners convenient, local compliance education that covers a wide variety of current and emerging...more
Rural emergency hospitals (REHs) are a new Medicare provider type that will allow Medicare to pay for emergency department and other outpatient hospital services in rural areas beginning on January 1, 2023, without requiring...more
On 6 July 2022, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published a rule proposing the Conditions of Participation (CoPs) for Medicare and Medicaid participation of rural emergency hospitals (REHs), to be codified...more
On July 1, 2022, CMS issued a proposed rule in which the agency proposes to update and potentially liberalize the distance rules applicable to Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) as well as procedures for monitoring the...more
The Centers for Medicare and Medicare Services (“CMS”) published the proposed rule for establishing Rural Emergency Hospitals on June 30, 2022. The federal assistance opportunities for these types of providers may prompt...more
Tucked into the recent proposed rule establishing Rural Emergency Hospital Conditions of Participation (CoPs) is a proposal to change the CoPs for critical access hospitals (CAHs). The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services...more
In a November 12, 2021 revision of its prior draft guidelines for hospital co-location compliance with Medicare conditions of participation (COP) for hospitals (QSO-19-13), CMS has apparently softened its approach to...more
On November 12, 2021, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued finalized guidance (“Guidance”) clarifying that hospitals can share space, services, or personnel with another hospital or health care provider...more
On November 12, 2021, CMS released “final guidance” for state survey agencies regarding shared space and co-location arrangements between hospitals and other hospitals or healthcare providers. This guidance is intended to...more
In this week’s episode, Gina Bertolini discusses two important aspects of the CMS Interoperability and Patient Access Final Rule that directly relate to health care providers, and how those aspects of the Final Rule will...more
In a stunning move, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has linked reporting and tracking of the incidence and impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) disease to satisfaction of the Medicare Conditions of...more
On March 9, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized its Interoperability and Patient Access Rule (Interoperability Rule), which aims to enhance patients’ control over their healthcare information. As...more
Hospitals across the country are questioning whether and how the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) requirements apply during the COVID-19 pandemic. Last week, CMS issued a list of Frequently Asked Questions...more
In a long anticipated regulation, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently updated the hospital, critical access hospital (CAH) and home health agency (HHA) conditions of participation related to the...more
Among the many provisions in the FY 2020 Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) proposed rule is one that would alter the supervision standards applicable to hospital outpatient therapeutic services. See 84 Fed. Reg....more
On May 3, 2019, CMS published draft guidance regarding space sharing between co-located hospitals and hospitals co-located with other health care entities. ...more
On May 3, 2019, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued draft guidance to be used by state survey agencies in reviewing how shared space, services, personnel and emergency services can be organized by...more
CMS issued a long-awaited proposed rule aimed at enhancing interoperability and increasing patient access to health information. If finalized, CMS’s proposed rule may require hospitals and payors to make significant...more
Hospital-based telemedicine services continue to rapidly expand across the country, allowing providers to deliver care to rural areas and better allocate the staffing and availability of specialist physicians such as...more
After a confusing month of contradicting guidance, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a memorandum clarifying its position regarding the use of text messaging with patient information between providers....more
With recent changes to the Hospital within Hospital (“HwH”) rules, is it easier to meet the HwH standards? Likely, not. HwHs are hospitals excluded from the inpatient prospective payment system (“IPPS”), such as psychiatric,...more
On June 23, 2017, the Illinois register will publish a number of significant amendments to the rules and regulations promulgated under the Illinois Hospital Licensing Act (the Act), at 77 Ill. Admin. Code § 250 et seq. These...more
The Joint Commission, which accredits hospitals and other health care organizations, hit pause on its prior May 2016 announcement to allow secure text messaging in hospitals and other health care organizations. The use of...more