Many hospices understand the general framework established for use of relief payments from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. However, many questions remain about how to evaluate whether specific expenses and losses may be covered by the relief fund.

Join attorneys from Husch Blackwell’s Hospice & Palliative Care team and accounting professionals from Crowe as they discuss commonly asked questions from hospices across the country. They will share legal and accounting perspectives as well as practical considerations to help hospices as they operationalize their use of relief payments. Register here: https://bit.ly/2LNbLZ0 Continue Reading COVID-19 Town Hall for Hospices Legal and Accounting Perspectives on Commonly Asked Provider Relief Fund Questions

COVID-19 is not the sole focus of the Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) these days. On May 15th, the Office of Inspector General (“OIG”) announced that it added to its Work Plan a “Review of Institutions of Higher Education Grantees Receiving National Institutes of Health Awards” to address areas of potential risk at institutions of higher education (“IHE”). Continue Reading OIG Tags Higher Education Grantees Receiving NIH Awards

FEMA Funding

On May 12, 2020 the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued additional 1135 blanket waivers which are applicable to a wide variety of health care providers. These COVID-19 Emergency Declaration Blanket Waivers for Health Care Providers are retroactively effective from March 1, 2020 through the end of the public health emergency (PHE). The waivers in this issuance do not require a request be sent or a notification be made to any of the CMS regional offices.  Each waiver must be consistent with the state’s emergency preparedness or pandemic plan.

Continue Reading CMS Adds Additional Blanket Waivers for Health Care Providers

Due to expanded COVID-19 diagnostic testing availability, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (MDHSS) is encouraging providers to test both symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals, if the clinician’s medical judgment determines it is necessary. At the same time, MDHSS also posted words of caution regarding the use of serological testing, which is not considered diagnostic for COVID-19 but rather detects antibodies which could reveal exposure to SARS-CoV- 2 (the virus which causes COVID-19) or a different  infection, including other strains of coronavirus, altogether. The recent MDHSS COVID-19 Serological Testing Quick Facts (Quick Facts) cautions that: Continue Reading Missouri Encourages COVID-19 Diagnostic Testing but Urges Caution with Serological/Antibody Testing

Although Wisconsin hospitals have remained busy providing COVID-related treatment and services for the last two months, many Wisconsin health care providers chose to postpone elective surgeries and procedures in compliance with CMS guidance. Notably, Wisconsin never expressly prohibited elective surgeries or procedures at any point during the last few months; however, Emergency Orders #12 and #28 specified that individuals may obtain services at ambulatory surgery centers for response to urgent health issues or related COVID-19 activities. Further, guidance from the Wisconsin DHS Division of Public Health issued on March 20 recommended that dental practices postpone all elective and non-urgent care treatment.  With the issuance of the Badger Bounce Back Plan (the “BBB Plan”), Wisconsin facilities and providers have expressed their intent to prep for elective services and procedures.  Continue Reading Bouncing Back into Healthcare in Wisconsin

On March 13, 2020 the COVID-19 pandemic was declared a National Emergency by President Trump. This declaration set in motion the availability of FEMA Public Assistance (PA) disaster relief funds to support nonprofit healthcare and higher education organizations, among others, during the recovery. On March 27, 2020, additional FEMA PA disaster relief funds of approximately $45 billion were appropriated through the CARES Act to address the public health emergency. Further, many of the longstanding FEMA policies and procedures are being loosened to streamline and expedite funding for nonprofit healthcare organizations such as hospitals and hospice, as well as certain higher education institutions. Continue Reading COVID-19 FEMA Funds For Nonprofit Healthcare & Higher Education: Track Your Costs Carefully And Choose Your Funding Source Wisely

The CARES Act (P.L. 116-136) was passed to provide emergency assistance for individuals, families, and business achieved through two divisions. “Division A” focuses on supporting workers and families as well as the United States healthcare system and economy as a whole through tailored programs. Provisions under Division A provide targeted relief efforts such as the Paycheck Protection Program, Student Loan Relief, Health Coverage for COVID-19 testing, Liability Immunity for Health Care volunteers, Recovery Rebates for Individuals, among many other assistance provisions. Continue Reading National Institutes of Health COVID-19 Support/Research at Academic Medical Centers and Other Facilities

The California Attorney General recently published an opinion  (No. 15-301) clarifying when a report under California Business and Professions Code section 805 must be filed.  Section 805 requires hospitals and other entities to file a report with the relevant state healing arts agency “within 15 days after the effective date” of certain adverse actions taken by a peer review body against certain licensed health care providers.  The Medical Board of California asked for clarification regarding the term “effective date,” specifically whether the effective date is the date of a proposed action, or the date on which a proposed action is adopted and final.  The Attorney General concluded that for purposes of Section 805, the “effective date” is the date that the peer review body’s appeals process is completed and the decision is final.

On April 23, 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) released a new COVID-19 toolkit. While the toolkit is directed to the states, it should serve the American telehealth community as a focal point for the organization and alignment of the infinite number of state and federal regulations relevant to telehealth. So, it serves as a great organizing tool for provider’s own operational use but also as an architecture for providers to catalogue the changes they would like to suggest to the states in order to improve access to telehealth. Continue Reading CMS’s New Telehealth Toolkit Arrives at Just the Right COVID-19 Time for Providers and Policy Makers

In this episode, Meg Pekarske talks with Michael McHale who is President and CEO of TRU Community Care. Michael is a friend, colleague and hospice innovator. As a former board member of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (“NHPCO”), Michael is always thinking of ways to lead proactive growth and change. He is driven to solutions by the fundamental question: “how can we better serve the needs of our community?” In today’s conversation, Michael shares his insights on where hospice care is going, how we transform as an industry and the challenges to change. We explore how a new delivery system TRU is developing will radically change how they care for patients across the organization’s continuum of service, which spans PACE, Serious Illness, Home Health, Palliative Care and Hospice. Michael shows how financial investments in new ways of doing things can pay for themselves through economies of scale and staffing efficiencies. While the complexities of care delivery and payment can be dizzying, it is clear from this lively conversation that being grounded in the seminal question “how can we help” is the way forward for us all. Listen to the full episode here: https://bit.ly/2VOUsew.