CEO Update 110
HHS Extends Coronavirus Public Health Emergency
On Thursday, July 23, HHS Secretary Alex Azar extended the public health emergency determination regarding Covid-19.
Public health emergencies last for 90 days. As a result, emergency authorities are extended to late October.
HHS Extends Medicaid/CHIP Provider Relief Deadline and Announces Additional Hotspot Funding
HHS extended to Monday, August 3, the deadline for providers that participate in Medicaid and CHIP to apply for $15 billion from the Provider Relief Fund authorized in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to support healthcare providers affected by Covid-19.To be eligible, providers must not have received a payment from the earlier Medicare-based distributions from the Fund. For details see updated HHS fact sheet on eligibility and how to apply for the Medicaid and CHIP Provider Distribution.
HHS is also holding a webinar on Monday, July 27, 3-4 p.m. EST to go over the application process for the Medicaid and CHIP provider funding. Click on this link to register.
Not as many providers as expected have applied for the Medicaid and CHIP provider funding, and HHS held focus groups this week to gather feedback on the process, as highlighted in an NABH Alert. HHS has posted a set of FAQs regarding the Medicaid and CHIP provider funding and has established a provider support line for application inquiries at (866) 569-3522.
HHS also announced last Friday, July 17, that it would distribute an additional $10 billion to hospitals in areas heavily impacted by Covid-19. HHS is basing these distributions on data submitted by hospitals on Covid-19 positive inpatient admissions for the period January 1 to June 10, 2020. In May, HHS distributed $12 billion from the Provider Relief Fund in the first round of funding for hotspot areas.
HHS Changes Reporting Requirement for Provider Relief Fund Recipients
Healthcare providers that received more than $10,000 from the Provider Relief Fund will have to report how they spent these funds by February 15, 2021, according to an HHS notice.
Providers with unexpended funds as of December 31, 2020, will be required to submit a second and final report by July 31, 2021. HHS had previously announced that providers would not have to submit quarterly reports.
HHS stated it would release detailed reporting instructions by August 17, 2020, and that the reporting system would become available on October 1, 2020.
Court Upholds Medicare Site Neutral Hospital Payments
A three-judge panel of the D.C. Court of Appeals unanimously ruled that HHS has the legal authority to reduce Medicare payments to hospital clinics for services typically provided at lower reimbursement rates by independent physician offices. This site-neutral payment policy took effect in January 2019, but was blocked by a district court last summer.
The American Hospital Association that led the suit, has not indicated whether it will appeal the ruling.
NABH Requests Data from Members to Help Advocate for Expanded Telehealth Coverage
NABH issued an alert circulating a short survey, this week, asking members to share data on the impact of expanded coverage of telehealth during the Covid-19 pandemic.
This information will help make the case for continued expanded coverage of services provided via telehealth after the public health emergency ends. Please provide requested information at this survey site as soon as possible and by next Friday, July 31, at the latest.
CMS Shortens Approval Cycle of Joint Commission
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) approved the Joint Commission’s program for accrediting hospitals for only two years, until mid-July 2022. CMS may approve accrediting organizations that survey healthcare facilities for participation in Medicare and Medicaid for up to six years.
CMS stated that the approval was limited to two years because of concerns related to Joint Commission surveyor performance and comparability of the Joint Commission’s survey process with the agency’s process. CMS indicated they expect to carry out more frequent reviews of the Joint Commission’s activities to avoid continued inconsistencies and to ensure requested revisions are implemented.
CMS required the Joint Commission to make several changes including requiring additional training for its surveyors related to off-site location standards, reviews of medical records, and the level of detail provided to facilities during briefings. In addition, CMS required changes to the Joint Commission’s process related to leading and probing questions during interviews and more restrictions on interviewing frontline caregivers in the presence of supervisors.
HHS Establishes New Covid-19 Data Dashboard and Database
HHS restored public access to coronavirus data on Monday with a new system that brings together numerous datasets and a HHS Coronavirus Data Hub that includes, for example, a dashboard on hospital capacity that shows percent of inpatient beds occupied, percent occupied by COVID-19 patients, and percent of ICU beds occupied in each state.
AMA Issues Report on Opioid Overdose Epidemic
The American Medical Association Opioid Task Force issued a 2020 Progress Report that calls on policymakers to act to remove barriers to evidence-based care for those with pain and those with a substance use disorder.
The report highlights health insurance company, pharmacy chain, and pharmacy benefit manager practices as well as state laws that delay and deny access to non-opioid pain care and evidence-based treatment for opioid use disorder.
MedPAC Issues 2020 Databook
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission issued its July 2020 Data Book: Health Care Spending and the Medicare Program.
The Data Book provides information on national health care and Medicare spending as well as Medicare beneficiary demographics, dual-eligible beneficiaries, quality of care in the Medicare program, and Medicare beneficiary and other payer liability.
It also examines provider settings—such as hospitals and post-acute care—and presents data on Medicare spending, beneficiaries’ access to care in the setting, and the sector’s Medicare profit margins, if applicable. In addition, it covers the Medicare Advantage program and prescription drug coverage for Medicare beneficiaries, including Part D.
Fact of the Week
According to Kaiser Health News, a recent analysis from Well Being Trust, a national public health foundation, predicted as many as 75,000 people might die from suicide, overdose or alcohol abuse, triggered by the uncertainty and unemployment caused by the pandemic.
For questions or comments about this CEO Update, please contact Kirsten Beronio.