Massachusetts regulators issued several updates regarding Hospital Bed License Expansion, Personal Protective Equipment, and Ambulance Transport to Designated Alternate Sites that receive suspected COVID-19 patients.…
Tag Archives: Hospitals
Massachusetts Issues New COVID-19 Guidance and Updates
Massachusetts government agencies have issued recent guidance and updates concerning the COVID-19 emergency. A summary is provided below.
Allowing Health Care Personnel with Potential Exposure to COVID-19 to Continue to Work
On March 19, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health issued the following Guidance for Health Care Personnel with Potential Exposure to Patients with COVID-19.
Healthcare facilities must take the following procedures in order that health care personnel (HCP) who have had exposure to COVID-19, but are asymptomatic, may continue to work. Under the guidance, exposed HCP may continue …
Massachusetts COVID-19 Guidance for Health Care Providers, Payors and Laboratories on Issues Including Telehealth, Elective Procedures, COVID-19 Testing, and Provider Licensure
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. …
CMS to Repay Hospitals Millions After Court Finds Reduction in Rates Improper
On December 12, 2019, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that it will automatically reprocess claims which had been reimbursed at a reduced rate in 2019 under the site-neutral payment policy and pay hospitals monies that were withheld due to the policy.
In November 2018, CMS promulgated a Final Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) Rule and implemented its site-neutral payment policy, which cut Medicare reimbursement rates for outpatient hospital services provided at certain off-campus, provider-based departments (PBDs) to the lower Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) rate for the …
Starting in 2020, Connecticut Hospitals Will Be Required to Test for Spinal Muscular Atrophy in Newborns
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 …
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 …
