On November 2, 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized its 2021 End-Stage Renal Disease Prospective Payment System Rule. Among other things, the final rule expands Medicare payments for in-home dialysis equipment and supplies as part of an effort to encourage in-home care for populations vulnerable to COVID-19. We previously wrote about the proposed rule here.
Continue Reading CMS Finalizes 2021 End-Stage Renal Disease Prospective Payment System Rule Expanding Payments for In-Home Dialysis Equipment and Supplies

On July 6, 2020, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed its calendar year 2021 End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Prospective Payment System (PPS) rule. ESRD PPS rules are promulgated on an annual basis, providing updates to payment policies and rates for renal dialysis services furnished to beneficiaries. The 2021 proposed rule also proposes to update the acute kidney injury (AKI) dialysis payment rate for renal dialysis services furnished by ESRD facilities to individuals with AKI, and proposes changes to the ESRD Quality Incentive Program. In addition to the annual technical updates, the 2021 rule proposes, at a high level:

  • Changes to the eligibility criteria and determination process for the transitional add-on payment adjustment for new and innovative equipment and supplies (TPNIES), and defining “new” to be within three years, beginning on the date of the FDA marketing authorization;
  • Expansion of the TPNIES to include new and innovative capital-related assets that are home dialysis machines, used in the home for a single patient;
  • Updates to the outlier policy and outlier services fixed-dollar loss amounts as well as the Medicare allowable payment amounts;
  • An addition to the ESRD PPS base rate to include calcimimetics in the ESRD PPS bundled payment;
  • A change to the low-volume payment adjustment eligibility criteria and attestation requirement to account for the COVID-19 public health emergency; and
  • An update to the ESRD PPS wage index to adopt the new Office of Management and Budget (OMB) delineations with a transition period.

Continue Reading CMS Proposes 2021 End-Stage Renal Disease Prospective Payment System Rule

Telehealth for Treatment of Substance Use Disorders

As part of the CY 2019 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS), the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued an interim final rule with comment period to expand the use of telehealth for the treatment of substance use disorders and co-occurring mental health disorders. Existing law provides for reimbursement of telehealth services only if the originating site is located in a rural health professional shortage area, is not in a metropolitan statistical area or is an entity that participates in a federal telemedicine demonstration project. The originating site must also be one of a specific type of facility, such as a hospital, physician’s office or skilled nursing facility. With respect to telehealth services used to treat a substance use disorder or co-occurring mental health disorders, the interim final rule removes the originating site geographic restrictions and permits a patient’s home to be an originating site. When the patient’s home is used as the originating site for telehealth services, Medicare will pay no facility fee. The interim final rule is effective for telehealth services performed on or after July 1, 2019. CMS is requesting comments on the interim final rule, and the comment period closes January 22, 2019.
Continue Reading 2019 Physician Fee Schedule Rule Review: Use of Telehealth Expanded

On February 9, 2018, Congress passed the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (the Act), which included a number of important health law provisions..

AKS and CMP Violations

Under the Act, Congress doubled the statutory civil fines for certain violations of the Anti-kickback Statue (AKS) and adjusted certain fines under the Civil Monetary Penalty (CMP) Law. The Act also increased the maximum criminal penalty from $25,000 to $100,000 and increased the maximum incarceration period from five years to ten years.
Continue Reading Bipartisan Budget Act Revises Stark Law, Increases Penalties for AKS and CMP Law Violations, and Expands Telehealth Coverage

On July 25, 2017, the U.S. House of Representatives passed by voice vote a bipartisan bill which is now in the Senate’s hands for consideration, the Medicare Part B Improvement Act of 2017. The bill would amend the Stark Law (Section 1877(h)(1) of the Social Security Act) and impact other provisions governing Medicare Part B.

The bill would amend the Stark Law:

  • to provide that the writing requirement for certain compensation arrangements may be satisfied by means determined by the HHS Secretary, including “a collection of documents, including contemporaneous documents evidencing the course of conduct between the parties;”
  • to include provisions for “indefinite” holdovers involving certain personal service arrangements and leases of office space or equipment; and
  • to provide for up to 90 days to obtain missing signatures in certain compensation arrangements that have become noncompliant.

These changes codify certain Stark Law changes previously made by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule that took effect on January 1, 2016 (see related article here). 
Continue Reading House Bipartisan Act Would Amend Stark Law and Medicare Part B