America's Essential Hospitals submitted comments on the Department of Homeland Security advanced notice of proposed rulemaking on the public charge ground of inadmissibility. Following feedback, the agency plans to engage in the rulemaking process to issue an updated public charge regulation.

America's Essential Hospitals urged CMS to finalize withdrawal of the Trump administration's Most Favored Nation Model, citing procedural deficiencies, ongoing legal challenges, and significant reduction in provider payment rates.

The Department of Homeland Security will use the notice-and-comment rulemaking process to codify the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

In a Sept. 20 letter, America's Essential Hospitals welcomes the announcement of additional COVID-19 relief funding but notes the methodology falls short of adequate support for safety net providers. The association urges HHS to issue another targeted safety net distribution, among other requests.

The calendar year 2022 Physician Fee Schedule proposed rule includes provisions on Medicare payment for telehealth services, the Quality Payment Program, and more. The association also responded to a request for information on improving health equity through data collection.

In response to the calendar year 2022 Outpatient Prospective Payment System proposed rule, America's Essential Hospitals urged CMS to halt elimination of the inpatient-only list and to restore adequate payment to hospitals in the 340B program and to off-campus provider-based departments.

The Department of Homeland Security released an advance notice of proposed rulemaking to gather data and feedback on the public charge ground of inadmissibility. Public comments are due Oct. 22; DHS will host public listening sessions on Sept. 14 and Oct. 5.

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology will host a series of webinars to discuss information sharing requirements finalized in a 2020 rule. The first webinar, focused on clinicians, will be Sept. 14, from 1–2 pm ET. 

CMS proposes to rescind the Trump administration’s Most Favored Nation model interim final rule, which aimed to reduce payment for 50 Medicare Part B drugs. America’s Essential Hospitals previously urged the agency to withdraw the model due to substantive and procedural issues.

CMS on Aug. 2 released its fiscal year 2022 Inpatient Prospective Payment System final rule, which includes payment and quality reporting provisions. The rule does not finalize provisions related to new residency slots, organ acquisition costs, or Section 1115 waiver days. 

The administration has created a new website, StopRansomware.gov, to help government agencies and the private sector understand the threat of ransomware, mitigate risk, and learn how to respond to a ransomware attack.

A bulletin from the Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services notes the withdrawal of the 2019 public charge rule and addresses states' role in safeguarding applicant and beneficiary information. The public charge rule was vacated and is no longer in effect, retroactive to March 2, 2021.

The OPPS proposed rule would continue cuts to hospitals in the 340B Drug Pricing Program and off-campus provider-based departments, pause the elimination of the inpatient-only list, and increase penalties for failing to report standard charges.

The rule includes provisions related to telehealth, vaccine payment rates, the Quality Payment Program, and the Medicare Shared Savings Program; comments are due to CMS by Sept. 13.

Notable to essential hospitals, the Biden administration's July 9 executive order includes health care items related to prescription drugs, price transparency, hospital consolidation, and health insurance.

The Supreme Court’s decision to review the case marks a significant step in the association’s efforts to overturn harmful Medicare Part B cuts to hospitals in the 340B Drug Pricing Program. The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the case in its next term, with a decision likely in 2022.

Providers who received Provider Relief Fund dollars and are required to document their use during reporting period 1 (April 10–June 30, 2020) have until Sept. 30 to access the portal and submit the information.

America's Essential Hospitals commented on several policy proposals of interest to essential hospitals in the Inpatient Prospective Payment System rule and responded to a request for information on closing the health equity gap in hospital quality programs.

America's Essential Hospitals urged the agency to ensure essential hospitals receive much-needed relief and are equipped for their central role in the continued response to the pandemic, including allocating remaining Provider Relief Fund dollars and revising guidance on the use of these funds.

In its June report to Congress, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission issues recommendations on issues of importance to essential hospitals, including payment for Part B drugs, alternative payment models, indirect medical education payments, and Medicare coverage of vaccines, among other topics.

The Biden administration proposes to rescind a Trump-era final rule requiring federally qualified health centers to charge certain low-income patients no more than the 340B Drug Pricing Program price for insulin and injectable epinephrine. Comments on the proposed rule are due July 16.

The lawsuit, brought by individual plaintiffs and 18 Republican-led states, argued the ACA’s individual mandate was unconstitutional and that the entire ACA had to be dismantled as a result. The court's decision was made on procedural grounds and did not rule on the underlying merits of the case.

The new timeline for spending and reporting on Provider Relief Fund (PRF) dollars depends on when a provider received the payments. The PRF reporting portal, which so far has been open only for registration, will open July 1 for providers to begin reporting on the use of their PRF payments.

The Kaiser Family Foundation, in collaboration with UnidosUS, launched the La Conversación campaign to ensure equitable access to the COVID-19 vaccine for Latino communities. The campaign features more than 75 videos and complements earlier resources for Black communities.

The interpretive guidance includes information on hospital admission, discharge, and transfer notification requirements outlined in CMS' May 2020 interoperability and patient access final rule.

The Health Resources and Services Administration enforcement action marks a crucial victory for essential hospitals, which have seen their access to drugs with 340B discounts cut off by manufacturers since last summer.

In a letter to the HHS Office of Civil Rights (OCR), America's Essential Hospitals responds to proposed changes to privacy rules under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. OCR outlined the changes in a Jan. 21 proposed rule aiming to improve the transition to value-based care.

In a new interim final rule with comment period, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services revises the rules for certain hospitals seeking a wage index reclassification with the Medicare Geographic Classification Review Board.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ proposed fiscal year 2022 Inpatient Prospective Payment System rule would increase operating payment rates by 2.8 percent, repeal market-based data collection, and add 1,000 new graduate medical education teaching slots, among other provisions.

Everyone in the United States ages 16 and older is now eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine; CDC's advisory committee will meet April 23 to discuss the Janssen vaccine pause.

The FCC announced the filing window for the second round of applications for the COVID-19 Telehealth Program will open at noon ET on April 29. The agency plans to award funding in two phases so applicants have the opportunity to provide supplemental information if they initially are denied funding.