Eli's Hospice Insider
COVID PHE Gets Official HHS Renewal
PHE-related flexibilities will continue for some time. The Biden administration has taken its first turn at a task everyone wishes would go away — renewal of the COVID-19 public health emergency. On April 15 and effective April 21, HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra renewed the COVID-19 PHE. It is the PHE’s fifth renewal, coming after former HHS Secretary Alex Azar’s original Jan. 31, 2020, declaration and his renewals on April 21, 2020; July 23, 2020; Oct. 2, 2020; and, most recently, Jan. 7, 2021. In a Jan. 22 letter to state governors, then-acting HHS secretary Norris Cochran said “the PHE will likely remain in place for the entirety of 2021.” Meanwhile, the CMS Administrator position still remains unfilled. President Biden announced Chiquita Brooks-LaSure as his nominee back in February, but at press time, the U.S. Senate has yet to confirm her.
Eli's Hospice Insider
- Reimbursement:
Medicare Pay Increase Is On The Way, But Labor Share Change Muddies Hospices’ Reimbursement Picture
You could end up with lower payment rates than you currently receive, depending on where [...] - Regulations:
Pseudo-Patient Aide Competency Testing Poised To Go Permanent
Plus: No sign of CAA survey changes in proposed rule. Hospices’ workloads should get a [...] - Compliance:
Proposed Rule Smoothes Out A Few Addendum Wrinkles But Ignores Some Big Flaws
Day-late addendum can still lead to losing to a month of pay. Help is on [...] - Quality:
Are You Ready For Star Ratings, A Composite Index Measure, And More Quality Changes?
HVLDL measure confusion continues to plague hospices. A five-star rating based on CAHPS scores is [...] - Hospice News:
COVID PHE Gets Official HHS Renewal
PHE-related flexibilities will continue for some time. The Biden administration has taken its first turn [...] - Hospice News:
HOPE Tool May Include Cross-Setting SPADE Elements
Development of the Hospice Outcome and Patient Evaluation tool continues, and it might not be [...] - Hospice News:
Give Your IT-HQRP Feedback To CMS
If you have thoughts on how the Hospice Quality Reporting Program and technology should work [...] - Hospice News:
Extended Sequestration Suspension Saves Hospices $300 Million
Hospices’ efforts to fend off the reimposition of the 2 percent sequestration cut have succeeded. [...] - Hospice News:
‘Hospice That You Don’t Have To Die To Use’ Marketing Lands 3 Execs In Prison
You don’t have to be an owner or CEO to get a prison sentence for [...] - Hospice News:
California Hospice Owner Pleads Guilty
A home health and hospice agency owner has pled guilty to fraud and kickback charges. [...] - Hospice News:
HHS Launches Campaign To Boost COVID Vaccinations
Now that COVID vaccinations are becoming widely available in most areas of the U.S., hospice [...] - Hospice News:
New Emergency Preparedness Guidance Hits The Books
You may feel like you’ve been living out your emergency preparedness plan for the past [...]
