On July 9, 2019, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont signed into law Public Act No. 19-176 (PA 19-176), “An Act Concerning Newborn Screening for Spinal Muscular Atrophy.” Starting on January 1, 2020, this law requires hospitals and other institutions that care for newborn infants to screen such infants for spinal muscular atrophy. As with other statutory requirements for newborn infant screening under Connecticut law – including testing for HIV, phenylketonuria, sickle cell disease, cystic fibrosis, and critical congenital heart disease – the requirement to test for spinal muscular atrophy …
Tag Archives: Hospitals
Connecticut Enacts Legislation to Address Hospital-Insurer Network Conflicts
On June 6, 2018, Connecticut Governor Dannel P. Malloy signed into law Public Act No. 18-115 “An Act Concerning Disputes Between Health Carriers and Participating Providers That Are Hospitals” (PA 18-115). This legislation updates state laws concerning the departure or removal of a hospital from an insurance carrier’s provider network. PA 18-115 takes effect July 1, 2018.…
CMS Updates Hospital Compare Website
CMS recently announced updates to its Hospital Compare website. CMS provides the Hospital Compare website to give patients, their families and other health care stakeholders information on the performance of hospitals participating in Medicare. CMS also provides a star rating for each hospital to assist patients in choosing a hospital for their care. CMS updated the star rating methodology in response to feedback from hospitals and other industry stakeholders. In addition to changes to the statistical modeling used, CMS has decreased the emphasis on patient experience and increased the importance …
REMINDER: Annual Reporting Deadline Approaches for Connecticut Hospitals and Hospital Systems
Hospitals and hospital systems in Connecticut must file annual reports by January 15, 2018 describing (1) the activities of their group practices (e.g., medical foundations or faculty practice plans), and (2) their respective affiliations with other hospitals or hospital systems.
Under Section 19a-486i of the Connecticut General Statutes, hospitals and hospital systems in Connecticut are obligated to file the separate reports in writing on an annual basis with the Connecticut Attorney General (AG) and Department of Public Health (DPH). Previously, the reports had been due by December 31 each year, …
The Joint Commission Releases Pain Assessment and Management Requirements
The Joint Commission (TJC) recently released new and revised pain assessment and management standards and elements of performance for its hospital accreditation program. These standards, effective January 1, 2018, follow an extensive review by TJC of current pain assessment and management guidelines compared with TJC’s standards.…
OIG Publishes Prioritized Recommendations for HHS
The OIG has released the 2017 Compendium of Unimplemented Recommendations, summarizing prioritized recommendations relating to HHS programs and operations. Topping the list are recommendations relating to hospitals, including:
- Reimbursement rates for critical access hospital swing beds should be adjusted to the lower rates for similar services provided in skilled nursing facilities.
- Reimbursement rates for hospital outpatient department procedures should be adjusted to the lower rates for similar procedures conducted in ambulatory surgical centers.
- Medicare should adopt a hospital transfer payment policy to lower hospital reimbursement for beneficiaries who are
Massachusetts’ Health Policy Commission Further Limits Health Care Cost Growth
On March 29, 2017, the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission voted to decrease its annual health care cost growth benchmark from 3.6 percent to a 3.1 percent, effective in 2018. The benchmark applies to hospitals, certain physician groups and individual health insurers. The Commission also voted to finalize regulations to require those entities that fail to comply with the benchmark to file and follow performance improvement plans. Non-compliant entities will be subject to oversight by the Commission, during which they will be required to file monthly progress reports and demonstrate that …
