EMTALA Citations on the Rise
Federal citations for hospital violations of EMTALA requirements have risen in recent years. Under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, hospitals are required to screen and stabilize all their emergency department patients regardless of their ability to pay for [...]
Federal Health Policy Update for September 10
Don’t Miss: Energy and Commerce to weigh multiple health care bills HRSA shares upcoming 340B administrative changes CMS continues distributing Rural Health Transformation Program $$$ The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for September 4-10. [...]
Administrative Changes Coming to 340B
The Health Resources and Services Administration has released new information about changes coming to its 340B Office of Pharmacy Affairs Information System on October 1. According to the agency, the changes “… support program integrity, transparency, and operational efficiency by [...]
MedPAC Meets
Members of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission held their latest public meeting on Thursday, September 3 and Friday, September 4. The subjects on the meeting’s agenda were: context for Medicare payment policy issues and potential policy directions in Part D [...]
Medicare Makes COVID-Era Telehealth Flexibility Permanent
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has made permanent a change in Medicare telehealth policy that was introduced as a temporary flexibility during the COVID-19 public health emergency: permitting most providers to deliver telehealth services from their homes without [...]
Federal Health Policy Update for September 3
Don’t Miss: 340B data reporting requirements for Medicare Part D claims data – repository opens October 1 CMS permanently permits providers to deliver telehealth from home without listing home address on Medicare enrollment application The following is the latest health [...]
CMS Sets Soft Launch for 340B Data Repository
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will launch a new Medicare Part D Claims Data 340B Repository on October 1. The agency’s 340B data repository will be a centralized, federally managed information system that will collect, store, and process [...]
With Medicaid Enrollment Down, More Patients Paying Cash
With roughly five million Americans losing their Medicaid coverage since early 2025 as a result of the expiration of COVID-inspired eligibility expansions and the introduction of new, more stringent eligibility criteria, more people, faced with the need for health care [...]
ASH Comments on Proposed Medicare Outpatient Rule
The Alliance of Safety-Net Hospitals has submitted formal comments to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in response to CMS’s proposed CY 2027 Medicare outpatient prospective payment system regulation. That rule, when finalized, will govern how the federal government [...]
Prior Authorization Remains a Challenge
Getting timely prior authorization for needed medical care continues to pose a problem for patients and providers. Despite federal government action to address prior authorization concerns associated with health care programs it oversees – Medicare Advantage, Medicaid and CHIP fee-for-service [...]
