Online resource packed with regulatory news and expert guidance, tips & tools pertinent to professionals across the post-acute care continuum.
Medicare and Medicaid providers in the 24 states involved in the court challenges at the center of the Supreme Court decision on January 13 now have fresh deadlines to implement their COVID-19 vaccine mandates. And CMS issued the last deadlines, for Texas providers, on Jan. 20. In a message to surveyors Jan. 14, 2022, CMS […]
The Department of Labor recovered $12,469 in back wages and $12,469 in liquidated damages from a Pittsburgh, Penn., home health company, according to a Jan. 18, 2022, release. The division’s investigation found that Three Rivers Home Care failed to pay an overtime premium on sign-on bonuses for 26 home health aides. The bonuses were contingent […]
Home health agency information has been updated on Care Compare for the first time since November 2020. Updates had been on hold due to the pandemic. The updated data also was impacted by COVID-19: Home health OASIS measure scores are based on three quarters of assessment data due to the public health emergency: the third […]
Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra has renewed the public health emergency for another 90 days, effective Jan. 16, 2022. The move extends current PHE waivers. It no longer impacts the implementation of OASIS-E. After a delay, CMS now expects providers to begin using the new assessment tool in January 2023. See the renewal […]
Medicare and Medicaid providers in the 24 states involved in the court challenges at the center of the Supreme Court decision on January 13 now have fresh deadlines to implement their COVID-19 vaccine mandates. In a message to surveyors Jan. 14, 2022, CMS issued new 30- and 60-day deadlines for compliance for agencies in Alabama, […]
The Supreme Court will allow a CMS rule mandating COVID-19 vaccinations for all employees of certified Medicare and Medicaid health care providers to move ahead, granting a stay of injunctions brought in two lower courts hearing challenges to the rule. The CMS rule requires agencies to put policies and procedures in place for employee vaccination […]
The Provider Relief Fund (PRF) Reporting Period 2 is now open through March 31, according to the Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA). Providers who received one or more general or targeted PRF payments exceeding $10,000 in the aggregate between July 1, 2020, and Dec. 31, 2020, must report on their use of the funds. […]
When billing for the COVID-19 vaccine for patients enrolled in Medicare Advantage, agencies should be submitting the claims to the MA plan, as Original Medicare is no longer paying these claims in 2022. CMS issued its latest reminder on this in the January 6, 2022, MLN newsletter. According to an alert by MAC Palmetto GBA, […]
Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) are alerting providers to a system error impacting the new Notice of Admission (NOA) when submitted through an Electronic Media Claim (EMC) software provider. National Government Services, a MAC serving providers in 19 states, issued an “urgent” alert Jan. 5, 2022, noting the issue with ZIP codes submitted on EMC claims […]
CMS is moving ahead with employee vaccine requirements in states and territories where the policy has not been enjoined by the courts. According to updated guidance, agencies are expected to have implemented phase 1 of the policy by Jan. 27, 2022, with full compliance expected by Feb. 28, 2022. The public comment period for the […]