Congress presses for some telehealth expansion policies to remain after COVID-19
Members of Congress increasingly support making permanent temporary policies that eased use of telehealth services.
House bill may provide insight into coverage priorities if White House and Senate flip in November’s election
The best-case scenario for Democrats is to come out of election night with a 50-50 split of the Senate, which would allow them to pass a package of tweaks to the ACA, with the Vice-President (assuming Biden wins) casting the deciding vote.
Medicare reopens application period for Direct Contracting models
CMS opened the application process for Direct Contracting models to more providers.
Intermountain Healthcare to provide hospital-at-home services for some higher-acuity patients
The move to hospital at home for higher-acuity patients by some health systems can create savings for their Medicare Advantage and other full risk products and for its Administrative Services Only clients.
COVID-19 pandemic weakens push for public option
The COVID-19 pandemic appears to have weakened the push of states to implement public option health plans.
How the Trump administration is weighing continued telehealth expansion
The Trump administration is examining several key factors to determine whether to continue expanded use of telehealth, says a senior official.
Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic impact could cause more hospitals to breach debt covenants
If Congress does not take action to prevent financial penalties for already financially distressed hospitals, another financial hit could be the final blow for many healthcare organizations already feeling the financial impact of the pandemic.
Where are Medicare value-based payment models headed after COVID-19?
The pandemic-driven changes in policies, payment and patient attitudes could change participation in and provider approaches to value-based payment models, say advisers.
Latest COVID-19 federal assistance only partially targets hospitals
Hospitals will quality for only some of the new provider-assistance funding pools HHS unveiled this week.
Safety net hospitals could see increase in payments if CMS updates estimates of uninsured in 2021 IPPS final rule
HFMA's Chad Mulvany explains why a small percentage point increase in the uninsured rate could significantly impact the UC DSH dollars available to safety net hospitals at a time when they are financially struggling due to COVID-19.