Healthcare News of Note: Noncompliance with new price transparency rules appears to be common
CMS's auditing of price transparency commpliance and Tennessee's Medicaid block grant program waiver getting approved are two topics in Healthcare News of Note. Also, HFMA revamps its “Voices in Healthcare Finance” podcast.
5 tips to safeguard 20% payment increase for treating patients with COVID-19
Healthcare organizations should be careful to ensure their practices don't put their COVID-19 payments at risk.
HHS Provider Relief Fund clarifications provide much-needed information
Several clarifications related to the treatment of depreciation, expenses for stockpiling PPE and revenue to the HHS Provider Relief Fund (PRF) FAQs were released Nov. 18 by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.
Democratic advisers expect new (and some continued) healthcare policies under Biden
A Biden administration is likely to try new healthcare policy approaches and to build on some from the Trump administration, say Democratic advisers.
What can providers do as COVID-19 poses increased headwinds to uninsured rate
HFMA's Chad Mulvany says as the number of uninsured patients increases, providers will need to have medical accounts resolution processes in place that stress patient education and engagement as early in the process as possible.
How a lame-duck Congress could affect hospital finances
The existing Congress and the Trump administration could take a range of steps in the coming weeks that would have major financial ramifications for hospitals.
Hospital finance leaders expect deteriorating payer mix, HFMA survey finds
Most hospitals expect their payer mix to shift in the next 12 months toward more Medicaid and individually insured patients.
A murky step in the right direction: HHS releases updated CARES Act Provider Relief Fund guidance
HHS, in a recent update, partially reverts back to the June 19 FAQs, which based the amount of PRF a provider is entitled to on lost revenue as opposed to its switch to lost margin in the Sept. 19 guidance.
Latest HHS provider relief fund FAQs offer insight into what’s permissible under the Sept. 19 reporting requirements
HFMA's Chad Mulvany says due to HHS's whipsaw approach to the provider relief fund FAQs and guidance, any clarity to be derived from the Phase 3 application instructions and FAQs needs to be considered with a measure of caution.
More Medicaid programs are planning inpatient hospital payment cuts
States are moving to cut their Medicaid inpatient hospital rates amid the pandemic and its more than 400,000 hospitalizations.