Medicare reimbursement for hospital outpatient services has come under attack in recent years, with a focus on “site neutral” payment policies that would pay hospitals for outpatient services furnished in off-campus locations...more
Following an implementation delay during the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE), on August 1, 2023, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) initiated Medicare hospital claims edits that will return certain...more
Over the past several years, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has expanded payment for care management and remote monitoring services in an effort to recognize and pay for non-face-to-face services that...more
7/21/2023
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Comment Period ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Hospitals ,
Medicare ,
Medicare Beneficiaries ,
Physician Fee Schedule ,
Physicians ,
Proposed Rules ,
Telehealth
On February 28, 2023, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a proposed rule that would change how Medicare disproportionate share hospital (DSH) payments are calculated with respect to the counting of...more
Rural emergency hospitals (REHs) are a new provider type that will allow Medicare to pay for emergency department and other outpatient hospital services in rural areas beginning on January 1, 2023, without requiring the...more
11/29/2022
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Emergency Rooms ,
Final Rules ,
Health Care Providers ,
Hospitals ,
Medicare ,
Outpatient Services ,
Provider Payments ,
Rural Areas ,
Rural Health Care Providers ,
Stark Law
Beginning in 2023, Medicare will recognize a new provider type: the Rural Emergency Hospital (REH). The establishment of REHs is intended to preserve access to emergency departments and other outpatient services in rural...more
8/11/2022
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Critical Access Hospitals ,
Emergency Rooms ,
Health Care Providers ,
Hospitals ,
Medicare ,
Outpatient Services ,
Physician Ownership ,
Physicians ,
Proposed Rules ,
Provider Payments ,
Rural Areas ,
Rural Health Care Providers ,
Stark Law ,
Statutory Requirements ,
Webinars
This issue of McDermott’s Healthcare Regulatory Check-Up highlights significant activity between June 21 and July 20, 2022. During this period, the Supreme Court of the United States overturned Roe v. Wade, which historically...more
8/8/2022
/ Advisory Opinions ,
Anti-Kickback Statute ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
CLIA ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Disproportionate Share Adjustments ,
Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare Fraud ,
Hospitals ,
Long Term Care Facilities ,
Medicare ,
Nursing Homes ,
OIG ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Pharmacies ,
Roe v Wade ,
Skilled Nursing Facility
Rural emergency hospitals (REHs) are a new Medicare provider type that will allow Medicare to pay for emergency department and other outpatient hospital services in rural areas beginning on January 1, 2023, without requiring...more
7/21/2022
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Conditions of Participation (CoP) ,
Dedicated Emergency Departments ,
Enrollment ,
Hospitals ,
Medicare ,
Mental Health ,
Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) ,
Outpatient Services ,
Proposed Rules ,
Rural Health Care Providers
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently published detailed databases summarizing changes of ownership of Medicare-enrolled hospitals and skilled nursing facilities (SNFs). The databases currently include...more
4/28/2022
/ Biden Administration ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Competition ,
Hospitals ,
Long Term Care Facilities ,
Nursing Homes ,
Payment Systems ,
Proposed Rules ,
Rate Parity Agreement ,
Skilled Nursing Facility ,
Transparency ,
Value-Based Purchasing
The US Department of Justice recently intervened in an qui tam alleging false and fraudulent claims involving the acquisition of physician practice locations by a health system and subsequent management of the health system’s...more
4/19/2022
/ Anti-Kickback Statute ,
Asset Purchase Agreements ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Drug Pricing ,
Enforcement Actions ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Hospitals ,
Medicare ,
Physicians ,
Professional Services Contract ,
Qui Tam ,
Reimbursements ,
Reversal ,
Section 340B
Hospital and health systems rely on vendors and other partners to provide vital services that support patient care, efficient operations and smooth administrative functions. However, the regulations governing different types...more
Hospital and health systems rely on vendors and other partners to provide vital services that support patient care, efficient operations and smooth administrative functions. However, the regulations governing different types...more
Hospital and health systems rely on vendors and other partners to provide vital services that support patient care, efficient operations and smooth administrative functions. However, the regulations governing different types...more
On December 17, 2021, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the fiscal year (FY) 2022 inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) final rule. In light of the significant volume of comments, CMS declined...more
On November 12, 2021, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released an updated version of its Quality, Safety and Oversight Group memorandum, QSO-19-13-Hospital, containing much-anticipated final guidance on...more
Under current Medicare program rules, Medicare does not recognize “freestanding emergency departments” or other non-hospital providers of emergency department services. Medicare will only pay for these services at facilities...more
The 340B Program has gained national attention over the last decade, in part due to the opportunities it provides to generate revenue for participating entities without risk of significant enforcement penalties for...more
7/12/2021
/ Best Practices ,
Compliance ,
Continuing Legal Education ,
Covered Entities ,
DSH ,
Eligibility ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Health Care Providers ,
Hospitals ,
Medicaid ,
Medical Billing Codes ,
Medicare ,
Overpayment ,
Payor Contracts ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) ,
Physicians ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Refunds ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Section 340B ,
Webinars
Year-end COVID-19 relief legislation approved by Congress established Rural Emergency Hospitals (REHs) as a new Medicare provider type effective January 1, 2023. REHs, defined as providers that furnish certain outpatient...more
1/6/2021
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Health Care Providers ,
Hospitals ,
Medicare ,
New Legislation ,
Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) ,
Provider Payments ,
Reimbursements ,
Relief Measures ,
Rural Health Care Providers
In this installment of the Healthcare Enforcement Roundup we cover new and longstanding issues impacting the healthcare enforcement landscape. First, we explore the impact of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) on the healthcare...more
7/27/2020
/ 1135 Waivers ,
Compliance ,
Continuing Legal Education ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
e ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Guidance Update ,
Health Care Providers ,
Hospitals ,
Objective Falsity ,
Physicians ,
Split of Authority ,
Stark Law ,
Whistleblowers
In light of recent civil unrest within the United States, which has been accompanied by incidents of property damage and large crowd actions, hospitals and healthcare facilities should consider reviewing and ensuring that...more
On April 21, 2020, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued explanatory guidance on the scope and application of a series of nationwide Section 1135 waivers of the physician self-referral law (Stark Law)...more
On April 21, 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued Quality, Safety & Oversight memorandum QSO-20-27-Hospital (QSO Memo), addressed to state survey agencies to provide guidance to independent...more
On April 3, 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued Quality, Safety & Oversight memorandum QSO-20-24-ASC (the QSO Memo), addressed to state survey agencies to provide guidance on processing attestation...more
On March 30, 2020, CMS issued updates to its prior QSO memorandum, expanding its infection control and prevention guidance to include hospitals, critical access hospitals and psychiatric hospitals. The updated QSO memorandum...more
4/1/2020
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Hospitals ,
Medicare ,
Mental Health ,
OCR ,
Psychiatric Hospitals ,
Public Access Laws ,
Public Health ,
Quarantine ,
Relief Measures ,
Telemedicine ,
Waivers