Centers for Medicare and Medicaid

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In a per curiam decision issued January 13, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the federal health care worker vaccine mandate rule, finding that the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services was authorized by law to issue the rule.  See our previous analyses of the rule and subsequent litigation here and here for more background information on the stakes of this case.
Continue Reading U.S. Supreme Court Upholds Health Care Worker Vaccine Mandate

Massachusetts executive agencies have been issuing an array of further guidance to the healthcare provider community regarding COVID-19.  All orders and guidance are available at https://www.mass.gov/2019coronavirus. Review of this website and CDC websites for periodic updates is strongly encouraged, as the situation is fluid and continually evolving.
Continue Reading Massachusetts COVID-19 Guidance for Health Care Providers, Payors and Laboratories on Issues Including Telehealth, Elective Procedures, COVID-19 Testing, and Provider Licensure

On March 9, 2020, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced final rules seeking to give patients more access to, and control of, their health data. The final rules were issued by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The ONC rule is available here and the CMS rule here. Both rules implement interoperability and patient access provisions from the 21st Century Cures Act and the Trump administration’s MyHealthEData initiative.
Continue Reading HHS Finalizes Joint Rules on Electronic Health Record Interoperability and Access

On November 15, 2019, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced final regulations implementing greater price transparency requirements for hospitals. Issued on the heels of a Trump Administration Executive Order directing HHS to propose regulations on increased price transparency, the new regulations modify and finalize CMS’ earlier guidance implementing section 2718(e) of the Public Health Service Act, to further expand price transparency requirements for hospitals. (See our previous analysis of the Executive Order here.) Effective January 1, 2021, the new regulations will be located at 45 C.F.R. 180.00 et. seq. and will require hospitals to make accessible specific “standard charge” pricing data for all “items and services” provided. Furthermore, the regulations include special requirements for posting pricing information about “shoppable services.” Key details are summarized below:
Continue Reading CMS Issues Final Regulations for Hospital Price Transparency

On August 17, 2018, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published a proposed rule (Proposed Rule) that proposes a comprehensive overhaul of the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP).  Among other changes, CMS proposes to:

  • replace the current three-track program with two options (Basic and Enhanced),
  • establish a ‘glide path’ that propels accountable care organizations (ACOs) towards acceptance of performance-based down-side risk,
  • update the benchmarking methodology to incorporate regional trends from the start of an ACO’s participation in the MSSP,
  • expand the use of telehealth services by ACOs, and
  • permit ACOs to provide monetary rewards to beneficiaries for the receipt of certain primary care services.

Continue Reading CMS Identifies “Pathway to Success” for Accountable Care in Proposed Rule that Would Significantly Change Shared Savings Program

On March 16, 2018, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a Decision Memo for Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) for Medicare beneficiaries with advanced cancer (CAG-00450N). In the memo, CMS concluded that NGS as a diagnostic laboratory test is reasonable, necessary and covered nationally when performed in a CLIA-certified laboratory, ordered by a…

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has extended the eligible hospital and critical access hospital (CAH) attestation deadline from February 28, 2018 to March 16, 2018. The extension provides additional time to submit attestation data and electronic clinical quality measure (eCQM) data. Eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals attesting to the CMS Electronic…