HHS’s Office of Inspector General announces audit of providers’ COVID-19 billing practices
OIG has announced an audit of Provider Relief Fund recipients to ensure they did not balance-bill presumptive or actual COVID-19 patients.
The COVID-19 vaccine mandate for healthcare workers can take effect nationwide, Supreme Court says
The court lifted injunctions that had halted implementation of the COVID-19 vaccine mandate in half the country, leaving hospitals and other affected providers with likely only a few weeks to begin complying.
New surprise billing regulations: Assessing a patient’s network status will be a key challenge
With new surprise billing regulations in place, providers should seek to implement efficient processes for gauging whether a patient is in-network.
Studies find glaring issues with federal price transparency requirements
The first year of federal price transparency regulations for hospitals hasn’t had high rates of compliance, nor has it consistently led to actionable information for consumers, according to two new studies.
Provider Relief Fund Phase 4 payments will be transmitted starting later this week, HHS announces
Provider Relief Fund Phase 4 payments will be made starting Dec. 16 to providers that applied and were deemed eligible.
Court injunction stops federal COVID-19 vaccine mandate for healthcare workers from being implemented as scheduled
A federal judge has halted implementation of a new rule that would require all on-site staff in hospitals and most other healthcare settings to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
CMS makes templates available to help with aspects of the new surprise billing regulations
CMS has published templates and resources that can guide healthcare providers in implementing some of the surprise-billing requirements that take effect in January.
CMS finalizes vaccination requirements for hospitals and most other healthcare settings
If hospital staff aren’t fully vaccinated by Jan. 4, their organization will be deemed noncompliant with Medicare and Medicaid regulations, according to a new rule handed down Thursday by CMS.
CMS finalizes changes to the price transparency penalty, inpatient-only list and more for 2022
Medicare policies affecting price transparency, the inpatient-only list and more will take effect Jan. 1 after CMS published its 2022 final rule for hospital outpatient departments and ambulatory surgical centers.
Additional requirements are needed to make healthcare price transparency worthwhile, report states
Updates to price transparency regulations should address compliance and formatting and incorporate new data elements.