Who’s tired of 2020? Me! Me! Me! COVID gave us a bit of a reprieve for the summer months, but now seems to be back with a vengeance. New cases are higher than ever across the world. Parts of Europe are shutting down again. US cases and hospitalizations keep going up. You don’t have to read the news to know that cases are increasing … just ask any ...
On October 22, 2020, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that the Phase 3 Provider Relief Fund (PRF) application period has been expanded to include additional provider applicants, including residential treatment facilities, chiropractors, and eye and vision providers who have not yet received PRF distributions ...
On October 22, 2020, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that it had updated its final reporting guidance originally published in September. The update includes clarification that, for purposes of relief payment for lost revenues attributable to COVID-19, recipients must submit information showing a negative change ...
On October 20, 2020, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the Department of Health and Human Services announced that it had resolved two religious discrimination complaints concerning clergy access to patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. More specifically, complainants alleged that hospitals had denied requests for clergy to have access ...
On October 16, 2020, the Kentucky Department of Public Health published a first draft vaccination plan for distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine to Kentucky’s local health departments and provider organizations as it becomes available in late 2020 or in 2021. The draft vaccination plan considers the phases of vaccination set out by the Centers ...
A New York federal judge struck down part of the Department of Labor’s (“DOL”) “Final Rule” regarding so-called “joint employers” under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”). If upheld and applied outside of New York, this ruling will expand the number of employers that have potential liability under the FLSA for minimum wage ...
On October 14, 2020, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the addition of 11 new telehealth services that Medicare Fee-For-Service will pay for during the COVID-19 public health emergency, including cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation services. Medicare will begin immediately paying practitioners who furnish ...
On October 15, 2020, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced incentives to encourage faster high throughput COVID-19 diagnostic tests. Effective January 1, 2021, Medicare will pay $100 to laboratories that complete COVID-19 diagnostic tests within two days of the specimen being collected while laboratories that ...
On October 14, 2020, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the release of a new supplement to its State Medicaid & CHIP Telehealth Toolkit: Policy Considerations for States Expanding Use of Telehealth, COVID-19 Version. This toolkit contains helpful examples and insights into lessons learned from various states that ...
On October 16, 2020, CMS announced that it will allow Medicare-enrolled immunizers, including, but not limited to, U.S. pharmacies, to bill and receive direct reimbursement from the Medicare program for vaccinating Medicare beneficiaries residing in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs). In absence of the exercise of such discretion, the ...