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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
News by Topic: Healthcare business and finance

May 24, 2024 - The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will hold a virtual public meeting of the Advisory Panel for Outreach and Education (APOE) on June 27, 2024, from 12:00 – 5:00 p.m. Eastern. Agenda items include remarks from CMS leadership; a recap of the April 2024 meeting; presentations on CMS programs, initiatives, and priorities; and more. Presentations and written comments must be submitted to the designated federal official by June 13, 2024. Registration is required.
Source: Federal Register
May 24, 2024 - Announcement from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) of receipt of an application from The Joint Commission for re-approval as an accreditation organization for clinical laboratories under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 (CLIA) program for several specialty and subspecialty laboratories. CMS has re-approved The Joint Commission as an accreditation organization under CLIA and grants deeming authority for 6 years through May 24, 2030.
Source: Federal Register
May 24, 2024 - Notice of direct final rule from the Department of Defense Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs (ASD(HA)) removing certain temporary regulation changes put in place in response to the COVID-19 pandemic that were automatically terminated by the end of the President's national emergency and the associated Health and Human Services (HHS) Public Health Emergency (PHE). Temporary provisions being removed by this rule include a waiver of the requirement for a three-day prior hospital stay before admission to a skilled nursing facility; waiver of certain acute care hospital requirements for temporary hospitals and freestanding ambulatory surgery centers; a waiver of certain interstate and international licensing requirements for individual professional providers; and more. If adverse comments are received, DOD will withdraw this rule and issue a proposed rule. Otherwise, this rule is effective on August 2, 2024.
Source: Federal Register
May 23, 2024 - Notice from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) seeking comments on the reestablishment of a matching program between CMS and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Veterans Health Administration (VHA) titled "Identification and Recovery of Duplicate Payments for Medical Claims." This matching program will assist CMS and VHA in identifying those VHA-enrolled beneficiaries who are also enrolled as Medicare beneficiaries; the specific claims where VHA and CMS made duplicate payments for the same healthcare services; and potential fraud, waste, and abuse. Comments are due by June 24, 2024.
Source: Federal Register
May 23, 2024 - Notice of final rule from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) amending its medical regulations to conform with section 101 of the Joseph Maxwell Cleland and Robert Joseph Dole Memorial Veterans Benefits and Health Care Improvement (Cleland-Dole) Act of 2022, which expanded the provision of hospital care, medical services, and nursing home care to World War II (WWII) veterans. The VA is also amending its medical regulations to remove existing references to Mexican border period and World War I (WWI) veterans since there are no longer any living veterans of these eras. This rule is effective May 23, 2024.
Source: Federal Register
May 21, 2024 - Notice from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) seeking comments on the extension of an information collection titled "Quality Payment Program/Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) Surveys and Feedback Collections." This generic clearance will cover surveys and feedback collections designed to obtain data and feedback from MIPS eligible clinicians, third-party intermediaries, Medicare beneficiaries, and any other audiences that would support CMS in improving MIPS or the Quality Payment Program. Comments are due by July 22, 2024.
Source: Federal Register
May 21, 2024 - Highlights a Tennessee Critical Access Hospital's strategies for remaining open despite national trends toward closure. Discusses reimbursement, workforce, community vitality, and swing beds. Caption available in video player.
Source: WVLT 8
May 17, 2024 - Notice of proposed rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) describing a new mandatory Medicare payment model, the Increasing Organ Transplant Access Model (IOTA Model). The IOTA Model would test whether performance-based incentive payments paid to or owed by participating kidney transplant hospitals increase access to kidney transplants for patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) while preserving or enhancing the quality of care and reducing Medicare expenditures. This proposed rule also describes standard provisions for CMS Innovation Center (CMMI) models relating to beneficiary protections, cooperation in model evaluation and monitoring, audits and records retention, rights in data and intellectual property, monitoring and compliance, and more. These standard provisions would apply to any CMMI model whose first performance period begins on or after January 1, 2025, and in whole or in part to any CMMI model whose first performance period began before January 1, 2025. Comments are due by July 16, 2024.
Source: Federal Register
May 17, 2024 - An analysis by the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families showed that Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Hampshire, South Dakota, and Utah had fewer children enrolled in Medicaid at the end 2023 than before the pandemic. States with the largest drops in coverage have large rural areas, where clinician shortages, long drives to care, and poorer health outcomes are common.
Source: Stateline
May 16, 2024 - Notice from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) seeking comments on the extension of an information collection titled "Prior Authorization Process and Requirements for Certain Hospital Outpatient Department (OPD) Services." CMS requires prior authorization for certain covered OPD services as a condition of Medicare payment to help to reduce unnecessary utilization and payments for these services. Comments are due by June 17, 2024.
Source: Federal Register