Policy & Regulation News

AHA to Lawmakers: Add More to the COVID-19 Provider Relief Fund

by

Congress should allocate another $25 billion to the COVID-19 Provider Relief Fund and relax spending rules as healthcare organizations deal with the repercussions of the Delta and Omicron variant...

DOJ, FTC Seek to Modify Merger Guidelines to Foster Competition

by

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division announced plans to modify current merger guidelines across all industries to prevent anticompetitive...

Vaccine Mandate for Healthcare Workers Enforceable in All States

by

A federal judge in Texas has dismissed the state’s challenge of CMS’ vaccine mandate for healthcare workers, paving the way for the federal agency to enforce the mandate across the...

HHS Renews COVID-19 PHE, Key Flexibilities That Come With It

by

As COVID-19 cases rapidly increase, HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra announced the renewal of the COVID-19 public health emergency for an additional 90 days.  The extension provides hospitals and...

CMS Updates Healthcare Worker Vaccine Mandate Guidance

by

CMS has issued interpretative guidance on its healthcare worker vaccine mandate following the Supreme Court’s decision to allow the mandate to be enforced while some states challenge it in...

Physician Groups Back AMA-AHA Lawsuit Over Surprise Billing IDR Process

by

A coalition of physician organizations filed an amicus curiae brief stating HHS’ surprise billing independent dispute resolution (IDR) process will result in an increase in...

AHA Shares New Concerns with Vaccine Mandate for Healthcare Workers

by

A comment letter from the American Hospital Association (AHA) to CMS requested changes and increased clarity concerning the agency’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for healthcare...

CMS Reinstates COVID-19 Vaccination Mandate in 25 States

by

CMS announced it would be reinstating the COVID-19 healthcare worker vaccine mandate to facilities in 25 states and the District of Columbia that are not affected by the preliminary...

HRSA Releases $48M to Boost Rural Healthcare Workforce

by

Through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), HHS is awarding $48 million in grants for community-based organizations in rural and tribal areas to bolster the healthcare workforce in...

CMS Funds 1,000 New Medicare Residency Slots to Address Labor Shortage

by

CMS announced they would be funding 1,000 new Medicare residency slots to address labor shortages in rural and underserved communities as part of the Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) final...

Missoula Surgeon Pays $3.7M to Settle Healthcare Fraud Allegations

by

David Bellamah, MD, a vascular surgeon in Missoula and Kalispell of Montana, reached a civil settlement and has agreed to pay the federal government $3.7 million to settle healthcare fraud...

Appeals Court Allows Healthcare Vaccine Mandate in 26 States

by

The US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has allowed CMS to enforce the vaccine mandate specific to healthcare workers to resume in about half of the country. Although, the decision released on...

HHS Distributes Another $9B from Provider Relief Fund

by

HHS announced the distribution of approximately $9 billion in Provider Relief Fund (PRF) Phase 4 payments to reimburse healthcare providers who experienced pandemic-related revenue losses and...

Senate Scraps Medicaid DSH Cuts in Latest Build Back Better Act

by

An updated Build Back Better Act from the Senate Finance Committee does not include provisions that would reduce Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) payments. A previous version of the bill...

Surprise Billing Regulation Faces Pushback from Medical Groups

by

A letter from the American Medical Group Association (AMGA) called on CMS to revise the interim final rule implementing the No Surprises Act, explicitly changing legislation that favors...

CMS Suspends COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate for Healthcare Workers

by

CMS has officially suspended the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for healthcare workers following two court orders to pause the interim final rule implementing the mandate from the Biden...

Courts Block COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate for Healthcare Workers

by

UPDATE 12/01/2021: Louisiana District Court Judge Terry Doughty has temporarily blocked the Biden Administration's COVID-19 vaccine mandate for healthcare workers in more states. The...

Rural Healthcare Providers Get $7.5B in COVID-19 Relief Funds

by

The Bident Administration has announced $7.5 billion in COVID-19 relief funds from the American Rescue Plan for rural healthcare providers who treat Medicaid, Children’s Health Insurance Program...

Administration Invests $1.5B to Address Healthcare Workforce Shortage

by

Vice President Harris announced a $1.5 billion investment to respond to healthcare workforce shortages and improve critical clinical care in underserved communities impacted by the COVID-19...

HHS to Form Ambulance Billing Advisory Committee, Per No Surprises Act

by

HHS is creating a federal advisory committee to address ground ambulance billing practices in its latest step toward No Surprises Act implementation. In an announcement on Friday, HHS said the Ground...