Skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) owned or operated by hospitals (hospital-owned SNFs) have a demonstrated track record of delivering positive outcomes for post-acute care patients. Such success, however, has not been without...more
Effective July 1, 2023, The Joint Commission (TJC) is accepting applications from eligible hospitals and hospital systems for its Health Care Equity (HCE) Certification program. By way of background, TJC generally accredits...more
On July 15, 2022, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra again renewed the declaration of a Public Health Emergency (PHE) under the Public Health Service Act, averting a July 15, 2022,...more
In a recent press release, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the availability of $5 million for community health centers to increase equitable access to life-saving cancer screenings. Grant...more
After two years, a multitude of factors are pointing toward the end of the formal public health emergency declaration, related emergency declarations, and associated waivers in connection with COVID-19, including declining...more
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Emergency Department (ED) visits had risen more than 60 percent since 1997 to about 146 million, with nearly 46 visits per 100 persons in 2016. With waves of COVID-19 cases overwhelming the...more
On August 12, 2021, the Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH) adopted final rules revising regulations for Personal Care Homes (PCH(s)) and Assisted Living Communities (ALC(s)). The final rules implement changes made...more
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp signed Georgia Senate Bill 359 into law last week. Georgia's COVID-19 Pandemic Business Safety Act (the Act) is an undoubted win for businesses, health care and otherwise, as Georgia's legislature...more
8/22/2020
/ Assumption of the Risk ,
Civil Liability ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Georgia ,
Governor Kemp ,
Gross Negligence ,
Health Care Providers ,
Hospitals ,
Infectious Diseases ,
New Rules ,
Rebuttable Presumptions ,
State Legislatures ,
Statutory Immunity ,
Willful Misconduct
As long term care (LTC) facility cases of COVID-19 continue to rise, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) remains vigilant in its efforts to regulate the delivery of adequate care to those residents with...more
4/24/2020
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Health Care Providers ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Long Term Care Facilities ,
Long-Term Care ,
Medicare ,
New Guidance ,
Nursing Homes ,
Physician Medicare Reimbursements ,
Provider Payments ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Relief Measures ,
Sick Residents ,
Transfers ,
Waivers
On April 2, 2020, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp and the Georgia Department of Community Health announced that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services approved Georgia's Section 1135 waiver request. The waivers will...more
As Georgians continue to grapple with the effects of the consistently rising number of COVID-19 cases, Governor Brian Kemp issued two Executive Orders in an attempt to slow the impact of the highly contagious disease on the...more
On March 13, with uncertainty as to the impact of coronavirus (COVID-19) on the United States, President Trump declared a national emergency citing the need to open access to as much as $50 billion in aid and lower legal...more
The ultimate impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) cannot be predicted at this time; however, the disruption of commerce and family life has commenced in the United States. The sudden lack of reliable child care providers such...more