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On August 19, 2021, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont issued Executive Order No. 13C (the “Order”) to expand access to COVID-19 vaccination information for patients and providers (and school nurses) as public health authorities continue to promote vaccination efforts, implement recommendations for vaccine booster shots, and as schools adopt COVID-19 control measures for returning students and…

On July 6, 2021, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont signed into law Public Act 21-113 titled “An Act Concerning Opioids” (PA 21-113), which establishes pilot programs to help serve persons with opioid use disorder in urban, suburban, and rural communities, and requires the Commissioner of Public Health to issue and increase awareness of chronic pain treatment guidelines. PA 21-113 became effective on July 1, 2021.
Continue Reading Connecticut Legislature Passes Act to Help Address the Opioid Epidemic

On July 14, 2020 Connecticut Governor Lamont issued Executive Order No. 7HHH, in which the Governor modified state law to enable the Commissioner of the Department of Public Health (DPH) to temporarily suspend licensure, registration and certification requirements for certain DPH-regulated practitioners for the duration of the state public health and civil preparedness emergency.  Notably, in that Executive Order, the Governor stated that “healthcare providers from outside Connecticut have greatly enhanced the provision of healthcare services in Connecticut during the COVID-19 pandemic and thereby fundamentally improved the state’s ability to protect public health at critical time.”
Continue Reading Connecticut Authorizes Out-of-State Health Care Practitioners to Render Assistance for Remainder of COVID-19 Pandemic

Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont recently issued four new executive orders to address the COVID-19 state of emergency (Executive Orders 7CC – 7FF) that contain provisions relevant to health care providers and facilities in the state.  Among other things, the Executive Orders (i) expand access to telehealth services, (ii) expand the available health care workforce, (iii) increase current reporting requirements for long-term care facilities, (iv) allow the Commissioner of the Department of Social Services (DSS) to scale back certain Medicaid program requirements, and (v) update requirements related to out-of-network emergency billing.  A summary of particularly significant changes contained in those Orders follows.
Continue Reading Connecticut Governor Expands Health Care Workforce, Access to Telehealth Services and Issues Other Important Health Care Updates in New Executive Orders

Massachusetts continues to issue directives and guidance for health care providers in response to COVID-19. In this post we highlight Orders and Guidance issued by Massachusetts Governor Baker and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH). The guidance addresses topics including collection of COVID-19 demographic information, use of alternative space for provision of health care treatment, health professional licensing, EMS transport of patients, hospital policies for returning exposed health care personnel to work, use of PPE and equipment, and updates for pharmacies.
Continue Reading Massachusetts Issues COVID-19 Orders and Guidance for Providers

Massachusetts continues to issue additional directives and guidance for the health care provider community in response to COVID-19. In this post we highlight new orders by Massachusetts Governor Baker, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH), and MassHealth. Updates include expanded license reciprocity for non-physicians, independent practice of certain Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs), waiver of certain MassHealth requirements in the discharge and transfer of long-term care patients, and authorization for EOHHS to establish temporary rates, supplemental payments, or alternative rates and payment methodologies for certain providers. MassHealth has also issued FAQs for behavioral health providers utilizing telehealth to provide services.
Continue Reading Massachusetts Issues Further COVID-19 Updates for Providers

On March 24, 2020, the Massachusetts Commissioner of Public Health issued a Pharmacy Practice Order related to pharmacy practice by retail and institutional pharmacies. The Order as well as supplemental guidance issued by the Board of Registration in Pharmacy (Board) is effective as of March 24.
Continue Reading Massachusetts Issues COVID-19 Orders and Related Guidance for Pharmacies and Pharmacy Professionals

Over the weekend, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont issued a new Executive Order 7C, which has significant implications for facilities in Connecticut that provide mental health treatment amidst the COVID-19 outbreak.

First, the Governor authorized the Commissioner of the Department of Public Health, and the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, respectively, to issue…

On July 9, 2019, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont signed into law Public Act No. 19-118 “An Act Concerning the Department of Public Health’s Recommendations for Various Revisions to the Public Health Statutes” (PA 19-118). Certain relevant provisions of PA 19-118 are described below.
Continue Reading Connecticut Legislature Modifies Public Health Statutes