Coronavirus

OIG: HRSA Made Improper Payments Through COVID-19 Uninsured Program

July 21, 2023 - The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) made improper COVID-19 Uninsured Program payments to providers that totaled an estimated $784 million, a report from the Office of Inspect General (OIG) found. The COVID-19 Uninsured Program, administered by HRSA, allowed providers to enroll and submit claims for reimbursement of COVID-19...

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What the End of the COVID-19 PHE Means for Healthcare Providers

by Victoria Bailey

The COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) has officially ended, and with it, so have policies that helped healthcare providers navigate challenging circumstances, including provider relief funds and...

Skilled Nursing Facility Use Increased Following PHE Waiver

by Victoria Bailey

Skilled nursing facility (SNF) episodes for Medicare beneficiaries without preceding acute care increased during the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE), a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine...

Significant Staffing Challenges Continue for Nursing Homes

by Victoria Bailey

Nursing homes are experiencing the most significant staffing challenges of any healthcare sector and have lost 210,000 jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a report from the American Health...

Elective Surgeries Shifted from Inpatient to Outpatient Settings

by Victoria Bailey

Inpatient surgery utilization levels declined between 2019 and 2021, while utilization rates in outpatient settings increased, according to data from Cedar Gate Technologies. The findings reflect...

OIG: Labs Billed Medicare Part B for High Levels of Diagnostic Tests

by Victoria Bailey

More than 370 labs submitted Medicare Part B claims that included questionably high billing for COVID-19 and additional diagnostic tests, a report from the Office of Inspector General (OIG)...

For-Profit Health System Operating Margins Exceed Pre-Pandemic Figures

by Victoria Bailey

Even as most hospitals are facing financial instability in 2022, operating margins for the country’s three largest for-profit health systems have met or exceeded pre-pandemic levels, according to...

22 States Want CMS to Repeal Healthcare Vaccine Mandate

by Jacqueline LaPointe

The healthcare vaccine mandate from CMS is no longer needed, according to attorneys general from nearly half the states. A coalition of attorneys general from 22 states have filed a petition under the...

HRSA Opens Portal for Late Provider Relief Fund Reporting

by Victoria Bailey

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has opened the Provider Relief Fund (PRF) portal to allow late reporting from healthcare providers on how they used PRF payments. The portal is...

Most Nonprofit Hospitals Updated Charity Care Policies During Pandemic

by Victoria Bailey

Nonprofit hospitals were more likely to make positive changes to their charity care policies rather than restrictive updates during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a study published in JAMA Network...

Hospital Expenses Have Increased 23% in Less Than a Decade

by Sarai Rodriguez

Hospital expenses have increased 23 percent since 2016, a spike researchers attributed to continuous COVID-19 challenges, according to a recent analysis from QuoteWizard.  By...

Healthcare Worker Unemployment, Clinician Burnout Rose During Pandemic

by Victoria Bailey

Healthcare workers saw a relatively small increase in unemployment rates during the COVID-19 pandemic but experienced more clinician burnout, according to two studies published in JAMA and JAMA Network...

Healthcare Compliance Will Be a Challenge in Post-PHE World

by Victoria Bailey

The COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) declaration was accompanied by several waivers and flexibilities that made it easier for healthcare providers to care for patients amid a global pandemic. Expanded telehealth coverage, Stark Law...

AHA: High Hospital Costs Stem from Increased Patient Acuity

by Victoria Bailey

Rising patient acuity due to delayed healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to significant growth in hospital costs, according to a report from the American Hospital Association...

CMS Offers Provider Resources for Public Health Emergency Ending

by Victoria Bailey

CMS has released guidance to help healthcare providers prepare for the eventual end of the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) and the accompanying waivers and flexibilities. When the pandemic hit,...

FAH Asks HHS, CMS to Extend COVID-19 PHE, Regulatory Waivers

by Victoria Bailey

The Federation of American Hospitals (FAH) has urged HHS to extend the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) into 2023, stressing that hospitals across the country still rely on the accompanying...

National Healthcare Spending Declines for First Time in 60 Years

by Victoria Bailey

National healthcare spending has declined for the first time in 60 years in the first quarter of 2022, with the country seeing a 1.7 percent year-over-year decrease, a research brief from Altarum...

Nursing Home Staffing Challenges Worse During COVID-19 Outbreaks

by Victoria Bailey

Nursing homes experienced significant staffing challenges during and after severe COVID-19 outbreaks due to temporary absences and permanent departures from workers, according to a study published in...

Low Revenue, Patient Volumes Led Hospital Finances to Regress

by Victoria Bailey

After experiencing some early signs of relief in March, hospital finances regressed in April 2022, with facilities seeing significant decreases in revenue and patient volumes, Kaufman Hall’s...

COVID-19 Pandemic Did Not Impact Medical Debt Among Americans

by Victoria Bailey

The COVID-19 pandemic and the accompanying financial challenges were not associated with any changes in medical debt, according to a study published in JAMA Health Forum. When the pandemic hit,...

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