Last week we informed you that CMS extended the effective date of hospital conditions of participation (CoPs) provisions requiring admission, discharge and transfer (ADT) notifications to post-acute care providers. Kathie McDonald-McClure and Margaret Young Levi provide more detail about this extension here.
April 3, 2020
On April 2, 2020, CMS announced critical recommendations to state and local governments, as well as to nursing homes, to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in nursing homes. The CMS’ previous March 13, 2020 guidance advised nursing homes to restrict visitors to help prevent the spread of the virus into these facilities. A round ...
April 28, 2020
As a result of COVID-19, employers have been forced to take a hard look at employment levels. Many employers have furloughed employees. Furloughing an employee is distinguishable from terminating an employee. A furloughed worker is still considered an employee, but they have been forced to take a temporary break from work without ...
March 27, 2020
The Centers for Disease Control has published guidance for allowing healthcare workers to resume work after a positive test result or suspicion of infection. The guidance provides two approaches to approve an employee’s return: either two negative tests for an employee who is fever free and has improved respiratory symptoms; or ...
April 3, 2020
The Microsoft Threat Intelligence Center (MSTIC) issued an alert specific to healthcare providers regarding a type of ransomware known as REvil that cyber criminals have tailored to exploit remote healthcare workers during the COVID-19 public health emergency. The MSTIC “strongly recommends that all enterprises review VPN ...
May 01, 2020
The 2020 worldwide pandemic will go down in the history books much like the 1918 Spanish Flu. One big difference between then and now: the technology that has enabled millions of us to remain moderately productive “at work” from the comfort of our homes. Welcome to the “new normal” of telework. Being comfy at work in yoga pants ...
April 3, 2020
Normally, an Opioid Treatment Program (OTP) must conduct an in-person medical evaluation of a patient before prescribing or directly dispensing controlled substances, including buprenorphine; but the COVID-19 health emergency has caused regulating bodies to modify this requirement. Click here to read the full article.
March 20, 2020
In anticipation of increased testing and treatment needs, CMS issued guidance on the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) requirements and implications related to COVID-19. Click here. CMS is continuing to refine and evolve this guidance as emergency departments manage patient surges and operations such as ...
As we previously reported, on April 10, 2020, HHS issued the first disbursement of $30 billion from the CARES Act Emergency Relief Fund for Providers (Relief Fund). On April 24, 2020, HHS announced a second disbursement of $20 billion from the Relief Fund. Per HHS, the second disbursement is intended to “augment [recipients’] allocation so ...